Love, Honor and Iroh: Return to Ba Sing Se
by skittlesandcombos
Summary: All of the women and children were to leave the city, including me. It was already hard enough to leave him, but to know that I might never see him again? That night I made up my mind. I was going back. Form Song's POV. Tons of Soko with slight Kataang.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclamer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

AN: This is a sequel to my other story, Love, Honor and Iroh. If you haven't read it, you won't understand this one. Well, enjoy.

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The ferry was crowded. Very crowded. I was one of the last people to board. Children cried and clung to their mothers, while girls gathered in groups and took this time to gossip. _Don't they know what's going on? _We are being shipped out of Ba Sing Se, to be kept safe. _We were already protected. _A small voice whispered.

Someone shoved me, then another pushed, but where they could go on this small ferry, one could only guess. My mind kept drifting back to the palace, wondering what was happening. I knew that they weren't fighting yet, but I still feared for all of the men's lives. _Ba Sing Se was suppose to be the safest place. So why are we leaving_? I shook my head in frustration. My mind was running in circles.

A woman rushed past me, following her young son. I looked around and realized that I was the only woman who did not have a friend or relative. No one seemed to notice me, which was okay, I guess. I didn't want a repeat of last night's dinner.

"Excuse me." A voice asked. I turned around to see the Water Tribe girl, Katara. "I don't mean to be nosey, but aren't you acquainted with Zuko?"

"Yes I am." The words came without hesitation.

"Hmm." She bit her lower lip before continuing. "I've never seen him so… happy."

"Really?" _Where was she going with this?!? _It was starting to get on my nerves.

"Yes. But, then again," Her face changed from innocent to hard. "He never seemed to be in a good mood. The few times I did see him, was when we would escape him." Her eyes narrowed and searched my face. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"That's interesting." I responded in a flat tone.

My curiosity got the best of me, so I played along. She turned, as if to leave, but then whipped around and crossed her arms.

"Does he ever talk to you at all?" She asked, taking on the roll of detective.

_Oh, now I get it_. She wants to see if Zuko is still after Aang.

"All the time." I answered truthfully.

"How long have you known him?"

"It depends on which person you are talking about. I knew him as Li for about four months. I've known him as Zuko for three."

She seemed confused, but soon shrugged it off.

"Hmm." She mumbled. "Interesting."

"Come on Katara." I looked behind the Water Tribe girl to see Toph. Some how she had snuck up on both of us. "Quit beating around the bush." Turning to me she added, "We want to know if we can trust Zuko."

I laughed at how blunt Toph was.

"You can trust him with your life." I answered.

"I wouldn't bet on it." I heard Katara muttered.

Toph rolled her eyes and stomped down on Katara's foot.

"Could you say that any louder? I don't think the people below decks could hear." She said through gritted teeth.

"It's okay." I said, trying to keep the peace between them. "It took me a while to trust him too."

They both nodded, as if they understood, but they didn't. No one could understand our relationship. The thought brought a sad smile to my face.

"Do you guys mind if I stay with you? I'm alone and I don't have anywhere to go." I asked hopefully.

"Sure. Toph and I have already claimed a sleeping area, we could squeeze you in." Katara answered.

We spent the rest of the day talking. Not of our pasts or grief, but of places we have been and of our friends. The avatar and his friends have been to all of the major cities, both Water Tribes, a Fire Nation island, and to Kioshi Island twice. Katara and Toph had made enemies and friends in all of these places.

I obviously didn't say much. Katara kept trying to coax things out of me, but I didn't budge. She kept saying Zuko's name every once in a while to see the effect it had on me. Unfortunately for her, I kept a straight face.

By the time we finished our conversation, it was getting dark. We stood up, stretched out our kinks, and headed to the 'sleeping quarters'. It turned out to be nothing more than an open deck with sleeping bags and blankets scattered everywhere. All of the women and children had already started crawling into bed when we arrived. Katara and Toph slipped into their sleeping bags easily. I had a more difficult time doing so. My cast kept catching on the inside, so I eventually had to trade it for a blanket.

Toph and Katara rolled over and went straight to sleep. The sound of rhythmic breathing filled the air. Before I knew it, I was the only one awake. That left me alone with my thoughts. Or thought, I should say.

There was an throbbing ache in my chest, and I knew it was from being away from him. It had only been a dull pain earlier, but now that I was alone, it had become more severe. I replayed our parting in my mind over and over again. I thought of how brutal the Fire Nation is, and wondered if they would show any mercy for one of their own. My mind dismissed that last thought.

"Not with his father still on the throne." I murmured to myself.

I rolled over and faced Katara in frustration. It was already hard enough leaving him, but to know that I might never see him again? It was all too much for me. The thought of what might happen to him, was unbearable. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and I let them come freely. I made up my mind that night. No matter what the outcome of this terrible war was to be, I was going to be next to him. He should not have to go through this alone. _As soon as we reached land, _I thought. _I am going back. _

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**AN: I have this dream, and it's to have at more than 3 reviews on one chapter. Hint, hint. Review!!!! Please!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

The more I thought about going back, the more I was convinced that it was the right thing to do. _How could I have left? _I asked myself. _How could I have thought that everything will be alright? _

I started making plans that night.

My first plan was to hide in the ferry and when it gets back to Ba Sing Se, I'll jump out… only to be sent back to Kioshi Island. Well maybe I can dress as a man, then jump out. No, they might think I have been sent from the Fire Nation. I mean, think of how it would look. One boy jumps off a ferry that had just returned from taking women and children to safety. What exactly was I going to say, 'Sorry, wrong ferry.'?

"Stupid ideas, Song." I muttered to myself.

If I could somehow slip off when no one was looking, I could reports to the guards as a boy who has been sent from his village to fight. Wait, an entire village sending one boy to fight. I could say I was separated from my group, but the guards would want to know who I was with and where I came from. I could tell them what village I came from, but once they go to check to see if anyone was missing from my 'group', I would be found out. If it was a small village, like mine, they would send about four and keep the rest to defend the town.

What was I going to do? No matter which way you look at it, there was no way I was going to be able to pull this off by myself. I turned over in my blanket to see sleeping Katara next to me. _Katara and Toph. _A small smile crept across my face subconsciously. _It's perfect._

_----_

That morning, I was the first one awake. The sky was a dull gray when I gently shook my traveling companions.

"Katara. Toph. I need to talk to you."

Katara groaned as her eyes flittered opened. Toph just sat upright and yawned loudly.

"Shh." I coaxed. The last thing we needed was for someone to overhear our plan.

Once they both slipped out of their sleeping bags, I stood up and looked for a quiet place for us to talk. My eyes scanned the small deck and saw a storage closet. _It will have to do. _Motioning for them to keep quiet, (Though it didn't do much for Toph.) I led them over to it. Once we were safe inside, our eyes had to adjust to the darkness.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Toph beat me to it.

"Is this about your plan? The one about going back?" She asked while tilting her head slightly to the right.

Katara and I only stared at her. Finally, my words returned to me.

"How did you-"

"Know?" She finished for me. There was a sly grin creeping it's way onto her face. "Whether you believe it or not, I could you hear you whispering to yourself. Don't worry though, everyone does it." She leaned closer towards me and whispered, "You should hear how Sugar Queen whispers about Twinkle Toes." Returning to her original stance she continued. "So, I just wanted to let you know, I had a plan too. Only I was thinking of using the Serpent's Pass."

My mind was boggled. _She could hear me whisper? I didn't even know I was whispering. _Toph crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, apparently satisfied about knowing so much. My mouth only hung open. Not even a strangled sound could make it's way out. Katara's eyebrows just pinched together in confusion.

She looked back and fourth between Toph and I before saying, "Would someone like to tell me what exactly what is going on?"

"Song has a plan to get out of here. It still needs some alterations, like how we are going to get back to Ba Sing Se."

"What plan? What are you guys thinking?" Katara asked, obviously frustrated.

My voice returned to me before Toph could say anymore. "I am planning to go back to Ba Sing Se."

Realization dawned on Katara's face. "Oh, now I get it. You want our help, don't you?"

Toph scoffed and said, "Nothing gets past you Sugar Queen, does it?"

The waterbender turned and glared at the blind girl. I stepped off to the side, not wanting to be in the way of her piercing look.

"I was planning on hiding here on the ferry as a boy, sneak off, and pretend that I was sent by my village." I said, trying to divert Katara's attention away from Toph.

"I think we should take Serpent's Pass though." Toph said.

Katara then bit her lower lip and mumbled, "But Aang said that we should make sure to protect the other women." She looked up to see how my mouth hung open, then added hurriedly, "But I think it's a wonderful idea. I didn't even want to leave to begin with. It was just the way he said that he needed me."

She looked at me to get some sign of approval. Apparently, she thought that I was having second thoughts about having her come along. _Why was that? _I only shrugged it off. What Katara didn't know was that the reason my mouth hung open was because I am in the same position she's in. Not because of any other reason.

"It's okay." I reassured her. "I know how you feel. We will get back to them in time."

She nodded and smiled. Toph tapped her foot irritably.

"Soo, are we going to do this or what?" She asked as her right eyebrow lifted slightly.

I looked at Katara and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes." She answered in a firm voice. "First we will decide on a route. Then we will go from there. But before we do any of that…" She swung open the thin door to our closet. Fresh, cold air met my lungs. I hadn't realized how stuffy it was in there. "We might want to get out of here. It would look really weird for three girls whispering in a closet all day."

For some reason I giggled. It might have been the fact that Toph was rolling her eyes, or the look on Katara's face, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with going back.

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**AN: Okay bad ending, but I'll live with it. Two words for ya'll: Please Review!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

The women and children were just beginning to rise as we came out. There were a few that were wandering mindlessly around the deck. We were excited and jumpy. Ready to get back. Unfortunately, the one of uneven floorboards caught the side of my cast. I fell against a girl about my age. She had untamable hair and had green eyes. She looked at me, and a shiver ran down my spine. It wasn't a glare or anything mean, it was a pleading look. I mumbled a quick sorry, and continued on my way.

We decided to stand by the railing to feel the early morning mist lift off the water's surface. Katara played around with the water, making shapes and lifting them high into the air.

Still bending, she asked me, "What did you do to your ankle?"

I looked at the ugly bulk that seemed to attach itself to my foot. What was I going to say? I didn't want everyone to know my story.

"Oh." She said as her eyes grew wide. "Zhao did this to you, didn't he?"

She suddenly became angry and let her water shapes fall back into the lake. My heart beat rapidly, out of fear I suppose. Fear of what? Him coming back from the dead at the mention of his name? Cursing myself for my foolishness, I looked deep into her eyes.

"What do you know of me?" It came out sharper than I wanted, but at the moment it didn't matter.

"Uh, nothing. All I know is that you were nearly beaten to death by the man. I had helped heal you."

Shame washed over me for being hard on her before.

"If you had helped heal me," I started in a quieter tone, "Why didn't you know about it before?"

"I had only healed some of your minor cuts, like the ones on your head. The doctors said that they had taken care of the more serious ones." She gestured to my cast and said, "But now I see that they didn't do a very good job. May I?"

I nodded and sat down. She knelt beside me and drew some water out of the lake below. Taking the water, she gently guided it inside my cast. It tickled a little, but I was able to handle it.

"Now I'm not sure how this is going to come out." She said as she worked. "When I normally heal someone, I am able to have direct contact with their skin."

I nodded, understanding. In my case, it will be different because of the cast. _Stupid rock_. I thought bitterly. _Wait a minuet. Rock… Toph… EARTHBENDING!!! _

"Toph!" I said, excited now. "Can you bend my cast off?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask."

She made a fist with her hand, then relised it. With that, the cast turned to a pile of pebbles. I breathed a sigh of relief. Katara was able to do her job quickly and without pain. We stood up and I tested it out. It was as good as new.

"Thank you Katara!" I said then gave her a hug.

"Your welcome."

My chest swelled I was so happy.

"Uh oh." A sudden though came to mind.

"What is it Song?" Toph asked.

"I forgot to bring the other shoe."

We all laughed at my thoughtlessness. After our chuckles subsided, we started planning. We made up our boy names, and had figured out where to get the male clothing. As far as traveling goes, we decided on going through the Serpent's Pass. Apparently, last time Toph and Katara did, it was a horrible experience.

"This time, we are prepared. Toph and I know what to do. All you have to do is help carry luggage." Katara said as she stood up.

We had been planning for quiet a while, according to the sun. Children were crying again and mother's hushed them. It was then that I realized we hadn't included my mother in our plan. We had a dilemma, and it needed to be fixed now. I told Toph of my concern and she just told me to write a letter to her.

"Tell her that you are going to deliver a friend off at her village. When we get to Ba Sing Se, write her another letter telling her that the soldiers won't let you leave. Make sure to tell her that you are safe when you do write her again. She'll never know that you'll be in Ba Sing Se."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

"Alright! Thank you so much Toph."

She only shrugged and said, "It's no big deal. Just make sure to write her. If you don't she will throw a fit. She'll demand that the soldier's look for you and that would be very bad. It'll be even worse if she decides to come back herself."

"I will. I promise."

Suddenly a group of women nearby started shouting, "We are close to the bay!"

A sudden lump lodged itself in my throat. This was it. We were finally going to go back. Katara looked at me with a sparkle in her eye. It was as if she was asking me if I was ready. I nodded. She then bent down and whispered to Toph. Toph then stood up and disappeared into the crowd. Katara went back to the sleeping deck to gather our things. I stood up, brushed the dust off my skirt and walked up to a young sailor.

"Excuse me? Can you spare a moment?" I asked in the sweetest voice I could muster.

He seemed quiet alarmed at my sudden approach, but quickly recovered. "Anything you'd like miss."

"I was wondering if you had a piece of paper and a pencil I could borrow."

"Of course. Right this way."

I followed him to his quarter's downstairs, making sure to leave the door open slightly. As we walked, I scanned the hall way for any open doors. _A ha!_ I slowed down just a tad to see inside. Seeing all that I needed, I pretended to trip. The sailor turned to catch me, but I brushed him off. He led me to a small room, apparently the captain's sitting room.

"I'm not suppose to be in here, let alone let someone in." He winked at me as if to tell me something. I only smiled back.

There was a small desk in the far corner. Sitting down, I started to write my letter. It was short and to the point, but I made sure to promise to stay safe. The sailor shifted from one foot to the other, obviously in a hurry to get back to work.

"Finished." I declared. I had only hoped I had bought her enough time.

He nodded and hurried me back up the stairs. Before I knew it he was gone.

"Song!" Katara's voice floated over the crowd as she pushed her way towards me. "You were brilliant! I bet you he didn't suspect a thing."

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**AN: He he he, those sneaky girls.**


	4. Chapter 4

Getting off that stupid ferry was the hardest thing I had ever done. People were shoving each other even harder than before. Katara, Toph and I were separated during the process, but it wouldn't be hard to find them later. It was late evening, and everyone was very cranky. The women and children were to stay at the ferry station and wait for a ship to take all of us to Kioshi Island. A ship would have real sleeping quarters, and will have more room. Unfortunately for me and my companions, we won't be able to see it.

As night started taking over the sky, everyone rolled out their sleeping bags. Bread was passed around for dinner. Most of the women from the upper ring complained and grumbled about the 'poor quality' of the food. It made me angry to see them whine about even having it. There were a lot of refugees that couldn't feed their children or themselves.

"Hey." Katara sounded very tired. I turned slightly to my right to see her carrying three bags, one of them was mine. "Have you seen Toph? She can't exactly see us and with so many people walking around, I doubt she'll find us first."

"Oh really?" A cocky sounding Toph said from behind us. She was standing there with a dirty bag slung over her shoulder and a hand on her hip. "You do realize Sugar Queen that I can also use my ears too. Your voice is easy to pick out from the crowd."

I doubted that was a complement.

We had to sneak out through a tunnel Toph had bended. It was a lot easier than I expected. It only took a few minuets before we saw the entrance to the Serpent's Pass. I looked up to see the bright moon shining at us.

"The moon looks exceptionally bright tonight, doesn't it Katara?"

She looked up and mumbled, "It's Yue."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I shrugged it off. By then we were standing at the entrance. An old warning was etched in stone, but I chose not to read it.

"I know we are tired," Katara started, "But I think we should get as far as we can before we stop again."

"Can we at least change into the boys' clothes?" Toph asked. She seemed excited.

"Yes." Katara answered, exasperated. "We need to hurry though. I want to be on the other side by tomorrow evening."

As we changed, we giggled like little school girls. Well, at least Katara and I did. The thing we didn't like was having to bind out breasts. Since we were rather 'developed', it had to be done. The pressure was uncomfortable.

"I've never felt so free!" Toph said as she tried out her new clothes.

She was lucky enough to not have to worry abut development yet. Her boy's clothes were quiet large on her. She had rolled the pants up, but they kept slipping.

"Yes. It's kind of exciting, isn't it?" I said in response.

No more skirts.

"It's not that different from my other outfit." Katara countered.

"There's one problem with our plan." I said feeling sick. How could we have overlooked it?

"What is it?" Katara asked, concern etched into her face.

Pointing at her long hair I said, "What are we going to do with our hair?"

She smacked her forehead. Apparently I wasn't the only one who hadn't thought of it. Toph snorted and laughed, amused at Katara's reaction.

"You just reminded me of Sokka!!" She managed to get out.

"Shut up!"

"Don't worry about your hair." Toph said when she finished laughing. She turned around and fished a couple of hats out of the grubby bag. Tossing one to each of us, she said, "I thought you might want one."

I looked guiltily at the hat and said, "I wish we hadn't tricked that poor sailor."

Thinking back, I remembered how I tricked him into taking me down to the lower deck. We would have just walked in, but there was a lock on the door. He was a sailor, who had a key. I must admit though, it was pretty genius of how Katara told me to 'trip' in front of the door I saw clothes in. Toph felt the change in my step, and knew where to go. From there, it was just history.

"Don't worry about him." Toph said, interrupting my flashback. "His captain won't even know."

Not answering her, I tied my hair up with my yellow ribbon and stuck my hat on over it.

"Okay." Katara said, looking anxious. "Let's go."

It took forever to get to the other side of the Serpent's Pass. The trip was scary, but it was fun. I had trusted Toph and Katara with my life, (literally) and they made sure I wasn't hurt. For some reason though, I felt as if we were being followed. I asked Toph if she felt anything, and she hadn't. By evening of the next day, we were close to the wall. We were exhausted and we smelled, but we did it.

"Katara," Toph said as she dropped her bag on the ground. "You do realize that they are going to start training us once we're inside? They won't let us rest. I'm just letting you know that I plan on sleeping tonight."

With that she made a tent out of earth.

Katara stared at the tent wall for a moment before saying, "Toph's right."

"I know." I responded as my eyes traveled over to the high wall.

We set up camp, but with no fire. We didn't want to be seen. I rolled out my sleeping bag, crawled in, and tried to get to sleep. As I closed my eyes, a picture of my prince filled my mind. I knew that they haven't fought yet, but I couldn't help but think that they'll lose. _All of the men are going to be commanded by a group of boys. And Iroh. _I added on as a last thought. Zuko and Iroh know what their doing, but is Zuko really willing to work under the command of a twelve year old? My heart yearned to be near him _You will be soon. _I assured myself.

* * *

The sun was barely up when we passed through the gates into Ba Sing Se. We were told by the guard at the gate to check in at an old bakery in the Lower Ring. We went straight to the Upper Ring. It was busy, and we fit right in. No one stopped us as we walked right into the palace.

"Wait!" Toph said. "Someone's coming!"

"Quick, hide!" Katara whispered.

We all ran in separate directions. Toph earthbended a hole, jumped in, and quickly covered herself. Katara ran behind a pillar next to the wall, and I hid behind an open door. Looking between the door and it's hinge, I saw Zuko walking by. I gasped quietly, not expecting to see him so soon. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It was Katara, and she was making elaborate hand gestures, shaking her head no and pitting her forefinger to her lips. She knew I wanted to reveal myself. When he walked out of the room, I came out of my hiding place, more than a little upset.

"Why didn't you want me to do anything?"

"Think about it Song. If he knew you were here, he would send you back. If we stay hidden though, we can make sure that their safe."

Toph opened her hole and said, "I just want to kick some Fire Nation butt."

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**AN: Okay, just so you know, NOBODY reviewed last time. I know you all are busy, but come on. Will you at least humor me this time?**


	5. Chapter 5

My face went white. Fighting the Fire Nation never even crossed my mind.

"So we are going to fight?" I asked.

"I guess so." Katara answered. "But we are going to have to make ourselves blend in as much as possible."

"Well that means you can't waterbend, Sugar Queen."

That made Katara angry. "Well your going to have to pretend to see."

"That shouldn't be too hard." Toph said as she crossed her arms.

"Okay," I intervened. "Since we will be fighting, I suppose we better get some training in."

It turned out that I didn't need to train, which was a relief to me. Once we checked in, we were separated. Katara to the non-benders' training grounds, Toph to the earthbenders' training ground, and I to the infirmary. I checked in with the head nurse, and he gave me a pamphlet on herbs. It was a small pamphlet, and only covered the basics.

At night, I slept with the other nurses and doctors in a large tent. Some of the men would tease me for sleeping with all of my clothes on, but it didn't bother me. The thing that did bother me was going to the bath house. I waited as long as I could before I finally had to take a shower, but one day it became too much for me. I decided to wait until everyone was asleep. Being as quiet as I could, I snuck out and took the quickest shower of my life. Changing back into my dirty clothes disgusted me. The hardest part was binding my breasts by myself. My hair was dripping wet when I twisted it into a bun and stuffed it in my dirty hat. On my way out, I ran right into someone.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" He snapped.

The voce sounded familiar.

"Toph?"

"Song!"

Her hair was an absolute mess, and her clothes weren't any better. She was covered in dirt from head to toe. The only thing that was the same, were her clouded eyes.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

When we checked in, she was whished away before she had a chance to find out where I'd be.

"I have been at the infirmary. How are things going with you and Katara?"

"Well, they aren't going as easy as their suppose to. Katara is having a difficult time fighting with out using water. I on the other hand, can't bend too much. It's so hard to pretend I can see."

"I'm sorry. Well if you ever need me, you know where I'm at. Let Katara know too."

We then parted. I ran back to the tent, while Toph continued into the bath house.

The next day, the guards at the wall announced that no one will be aloud out, or into Ba Sing Se. We were all ready to fight the Fire Nation. The only thing we were missing, was the enemy. We waited for three days, but nothing happened. Everyone started to get restless. Fights became more frequent. Then eventually, the men started questioning their leaders. It was horrible, sitting in the infirmary, and hearing the gossip.

On the evening of the fourth day, a man ran up to the wall and demanded to speak with the Avatar. The guards laughed at the man and told him to leave, but the he wouldn't give up. All of the men that were training, dropped their weapons to crowd around the wall. I was small enough to slip in between the larger men. Finally, I was able to push my way onto the wall.

"I have a message for the Avatar." he called up.

I couldn't see him, but the soldiers around me whispered about his Fire Nation armor. The guards called for the Avatar and his friends. It only took a few minuets before Zuko, Iroh, Aang and the boy named Sokka, pushed their way through the large crowd. A guard at the wall greeted them and escorted them into a room inside the wall. We could only guess that that's where they were meeting the messenger. Everyone was anxious, waiting to see what was happening.

Minuets passed by, then hours. Slowly the crowd around me disappeared. I caught Katara's eye and she nodded, knowing that I wanted to meet her tonight. I walked back to the infirmary, wondering what the message was. All of the nurses and doctors who slept in the tent with me, were slowly getting into bed when I arrived. I laid down in my blanket, thinking of what was going to happen next. Pieces of gossip floated around, but I heard nothing.

Once everyone was asleep, I snuck out of bed and met Katara and Toph by the bath house.

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

"I have no idea. Toph said that they finally came out about an hour ago."

"I think we should sneak in. We all know the palace well enough.

Rubbing my cold hands, I nodded.

"I'm game if you are." I said looking at Katara.

"Let's go to Aang's room." Was her response.

We only had to dodge five guards. When we arrived, we heard voices inside.

"What are we going to do?" The first voice said.

Katara visibly perked up.

Bouncing up and down a little, she whispered, "That's Aang."

I could hear Zuko's voice next. "We go after them! I will not stand by and let him hurt-"

"We know, Song." Another voice said. I could only guess it was that Sokka boy. "But what about my sister?"  
"Or Toph?" Iroh's voice chimed in.

I glanced over at my companions, trying to make sense of it all. They seemed just as confused.

"What I don't understand is why did he just pick the three of them out?" Zuko said. "Why didn't he take all of the women."

It was Iroh who answered. "He wanted to make it difficult for you. If he had captured all of the women, the men would be willing to fight. But because he had only kidnapped the three girls…."

The rest was unsaid.

"But Katara is the greatest waterbender I've ever met." Aang said quietly. "I can't see her going without a fight. There were times when we practiced… Well let's just say I have never seen someone move like her."

I looked over to see a very pink Katara. There was a sound of disgust inside the room.

"You do remember she's my sister?"

"That's not what I meant! Not that the way she moves isn't nice-"

"Okay I think I'm ready to puke now."

"No Sokka, that's not what I meant!"

Suddenly, a hand covered my mouth and a knife was pointed at my throat. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I could see Katara was in the same state. Toph was free, but you could tell se was really upset. We were surrounded by earthbending soldiers.

One of the men was whispering to Toph, "You try anything like that again, we will slit your friends' throats."

Looking behind her, I saw a soldier holding himself, and groaning loudly. One of the men knocked at the door, but didn't wait for an answer. The three of us were pushed through the heavy doors.

"These boys were listening at the door." He said.

By now we were completely free. It was only because we had guards at our backs and there was no way out. Zuko, Iroh, Aang and Sokka stood up in unison. Seeing him standing there made my stomach lurch. I missed him so much, I ran into his arms and kissed him passionately.

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**AN: He he. I'm not posting another chapter until you all review!!**


	6. Chapter 6

He pushed me back, and searched my eyes. At first, he seemed angry, but realization soon dawned on his face.

"Song!" He said as he pulled my hat off.

My long hair fell down at the movement. He took my hands in his, massaging my palms with his thumbs. We stared at each other, not knowing what to say. Butterflies were flittering around inside of me.

"Katara! Toph!" Aang yelled, somewhere in the background.

He ran up to them and hugged them both. He lingered a little longer before pulling away from Katara. All of a sudden, everyone broke into conversation. Zuko didn't look away from me. Without saying a word, he pulled me into an embrace. All of my memories, fears and desires from my trip came gushing back to me. It was overwhelming, the emotion and love that I felt for him at that moment. I could feel one of his hands run through my hair, while the other gently pushed me closer. I felt as if someone had drugged me. His movements seemed to slow, and I felt as if we were the only ones in the room.

"I can't believe you're here." He whispered. "Don't ever leave me again."

His breath on my skin sent shivers down my spine. I started trembling for some reason.

"I won't." I promised.

He then bent and brushed his lips across the bridge of my nose and moved towards my lips. My every though, any logic or any decency I had seemed to flee. My body took over. I felt like we were back at our garden. Flowers of every color surrounded us. He leaned in and briefly touched his lips to mine, before pulling back. I was not yet satisfied. My every nerve screamed for more. I raised my hand and laced my fingers in the hair at the back of his neck, slightly pulling him closer. He leaned back down and pressed his lips to mine. My eyes closed and I sighed contently.

He broke our kiss and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too."

We stood there, with our foreheads and noses touching. I heard someone say Zuko's name, and my vision was broken. The garden, our garden, disappeared. Still holding each other, we both turned to see who had said his name. Iroh stood there holding his cup of tea.

"I'm sorry Uncle, what did you say?" Zuko asked while he untangled his hand from my hair.

"I said that Miss. Katara and Toph would like to talk about their journey. Could you please let Miss. Song go so she can contribute to her side of the story?"

My face flushed a bright red. I looked up to see that Zuko was the same color. Without saying a word, he stepped about three feet away. I nodded and took my place by Katara and Toph. The boys stood around us. Zuko was by my side, Aang by Katara's. Our story wasn't long, but it seemed exciting to the boys. The entire time, Aang's gaze never left Katara. I wondered how long he's been in love with her? I know that Katara loves him, but it isn't as strong as his love for her. When we were finished, Aang sighed and started to tell us their story.

"After the city was evacuated, we immediately set up camp. Luckily, we were able to get some people from the surrounding villages. Apparently, that's when the three of you snuck in. As you all know, we trained the men. Even if some of them would die quickly in battle. Days went by and nothing happened. Then, the messenger came." He stopped for a moment and rubbed his forehead. Looking at me, he continued. "He said that he had a message… from Zhao."

I gasped in shock. Zuko protectively put his arm around me, but I felt as if I was in danger. My body started trembling in fear. _No! He can't be alive! I was free.. I was free. _Tears rolled freely down my cheeks. Zuko held me tighter. Iroh reached around him and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry." Aang whispered.

Katara and her brother looked confused at my reaction. Sure Katara had known that Zhao had beat me, but that was as far as her knowledge went. Iroh, had obviously learned his information from Zuko. I could only guess that Aang had too. Toph had been present when Aang had talked to me about Zhao. So she knew what was going on.

"What did he say?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"He said that he had the three of you hostage. That the only way to get you back, was to fight their army."

My mood changed from sad to confused.

"Why would he say that?" I asked.

Katara nodded and asked, "How would he know about us being gone? The only one who would know of us missing would be Song's mother."

"No!" I suddenly yelled. "I didn't send the letter."

Fresh tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. My mother must be incredibly scared. She must have come looking for me and accidentally bumped into my husband. I hadn't had the chance to tell her about him.

"Wait a moment." Katara's brother said. "You had said that the letter was so your mother wouldn't come looking after _you_. She didn't even know Katara and Toph. So how did Zhao know that the two of you were missing?" He gestured at the two girls and lifted an eyebrow.

Everyone was silent at his last question.

"That doesn't matter now." The Avatar said. "What we need to figure out is what is Zhao's motive. Song, do you have any ideas?"

The whole room turned and looked at me. Of course he was going to ask me, I am after all the bad guy's wife. My mind drew up a blank, so I slowly shook my head.

"I could take a guess, but it's not a promise." Aang nodded. I licked my lips and continued. "From what little I know of him, it seems odd that he would invite you to fight him. He seems like the kind of person who does things underhanded. We all know he's up to something, it's not all as it seems."

"Azula is the same way. Somehow, I don't believe my sister would let Zhao send a message telling us this. She wouldn't bargain with us. She gets what she wants, period." Zuko pointed out.

Katara nodded then asked, "So do you think that Zhao is planning something without Azula's consent?"

It was Iroh that answered. "I believe that neither one of them trusts the other. Azula is so powerful, she doesn't need to plot against Zhao. She could just kill him. Now Zhao on the other hand, has constantly wanted more power. The same power that Azula has. He, if anyone, would be the one to plot against his partner."

My eyes started to hurt and my legs were tired from standing for so long. All of this talk was making me tired.

"Zuko," I whispered in his ear. "I'm tired. Do you think we could all go to sleep?"

He nodded and rubbed my arm. My head rested against his chest.

"Where are the girls going to sleep?" He asked the Avatar.

"Well, Sokka and I have a large room. Katara and Toph can sleep with us. As for Song, I'm sure there's a room for her down the hall."

Zuko shook his head and said, "I don't want to leave her alone, she can sleep me in my room."

I blushed from embarrassment. Katara's mouth dropped open and Toph snorted. Aang was the brightest shade of red I'd ever seen, and the Sokka boy only grinned. _How could he… Why would I… _It was a very uncomfortable moment for me. Zuko didn't seem embarrassed at all. I looked up to see determination written all over his face.

"Nephew, I don't think it would be entirely proper for you to sleep with Miss. Song."

Zuko's eyes seemed to bulge at the suggestion. He looked at me, and I could tell he was trying to say something. I looked over to see Iroh holding in a chuckle.

"Th-that's not what.. I wasn't suggesting we should-" He was so close to saying it, I cut in.

"I understand. Are there any other rooms available?"

He stopped looking flustered and said, "You're going to sleep in my room. I'll make a bed on the floor for myself." I was about to protest, but he continued on. "Now that we know that Zhao is alive, I don't want to take any chances."

"But I mean nothing to him." I countered.

"Yes you do. If he knows that you are here with us, his plan goes up in flames."

Suddenly, Sokka burst out in laughter. "Goes up in flames!" He said as he slapped his knee.

"Shut up Sokka." Katara said as she punched her brother in the arm, a smile playing on her lips.

"Zuko is right." Aang said, pulling us all back to the main point. "If Zhao knows you are here then… Well, I don't know what would happen but now that we know that you aren't with him, it gives us a head start. So the three of you girls should stay out of sight. You will stay here in the palace until we think it's safe."

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**AN: Well, I wonder what you think. I'm sorry if it was hard to follow along. Oh, I would like to thank and welcome Jellybeanwannabe. Your review made my day. If any of you, (including ones that already have.) would like to review or flame, it's welcomed.**


	7. Chapter 7

Toph yawned and asked, "Soo, is this where we are crashing for tonight?"

Aang looked at her then said, "This is my meeting room. There is a door on the far side of the room that leads to the area where we can sleep."

I noticed that Zuko's arm was still around my shoulders when he started leading me out of his room.

"Let's get out of here." He whispered as he opened the door for us.

My stomach was rolling around, and I was nervous. This would be the first time I would have ever slept in the same room with a man. _Is Zuko feeling the same way? _The look on his face told me nothing.

"Why is it that Aang sleeps in the same room with his friends, when you don't sleep in the same room as your uncle?" I asked curiously.

"You have to remember, I am a lot older than the Avatar. Not to mention, it's how he feels comfortable. He's been sleeping by them since I can remember."

He stopped in front of a large door. It was a simple door, with no carvings or inscriptions. As he pushed the door open, I could see a simple room inside. It was dark, only a few candles lit. On the far side of the room, I saw a bed. _Made for two. _It was such a shock for me to think like that. Looking away, I saw a modest tea table, two chairs, and a changing screen. Across from the tea table, there was a fireplace with fresh cut wood inside. The curtains on the windows were pulled shut to keep the cold out, but I shivered none the less.

"Here," Zuko said as he knelt next to the fire place. "I'll start you a fire."

"You shouldn't have to. Isn't it suppose to be summer?"

He didn't answer, but continued to start the fire. I could tell that he didn't want to bend too much fire at once. He didn't want to bring up bad memories for me.

"I'll go get you some clothed."

I nodded in response. My stomach continued to roll around, and I thought I was going to be sick. He left and I sat down at the tea table. My palms were sweaty and my body alert. When he returned, his arms were full of clothes and blankets.

"You didn't have to get several pairs of clothes for me." I said, even though I was flattered.

He dumped his load on the bed and said, "I didn't know what you would like."

It was sweet of him to think of me, but he was being distant. I sat down on the bed and started rummaging through the pile of clothing. Taking the blankets, Zuko folded them into a make-shift bed by the fire place.

As he finished his bed, I couldn't help but ask, "Where do you think Zhao is?"

His body stiffened and he slowly turned to lock eyes with me.

He looked at me for a while before answering, "I swear to you, he will never hurt you again."

"You can't promise that." I answered a little too harshly.

He crossed the room and sat down on the bed with me.

"Why not?"

"Because I would never be able to forgive myself if you were hurt on my account."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"I'm not!" I countered.

He could tell that I wasn't going to give up so he tried a different tactic. "I love you Song, and I-"

"That doesn't mean anything. It did before, but not now. No matter how much we love each other, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still married." I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I was so confused. All my life I believed that there was always a happy ending, but what was seen in mine, was misery. Somehow, Zuko had gotten me into a tight hug, showing me that he won't be moved so easily.

"Shh. It's okay. We'll get through this together." He soothed.

"How? If he comes back for me, there's nothing you can do."

"Yes there is. I can challenge him to an Agni Kai."

_No! _Every inner voice I had started screaming.

"What about our honor?" I asked, trying to get him to change his mind about fighting Zhao.

Thinking back, I remember how he told me about the last time he fought my husband. At that time, Zhao had been working with Zuko. I remember being scared when Zuko told me of how when he turned to leave, Zhao tried to kill him.

"Our honor?" He stared at me blankly.

"Y-yes." I stammered. "You told me that it was all you ever wanted."

He shook his head and said, "I _thought _that honor was what I wanted, but it wasn't. The thing I wanted was to be loved. Accepted by my father. If I was to capture the Avatar and bring him back to my father, then my 'honor' was to be restored. What I didn't realize was that he didn't believe I could do it. Besides," He gave a soft laugh before continuing. "After all we have done, your worried about our honor?"

He had a point. Zuko had betrayed his father, sided with the Avatar, is planning to go to war against his own Nation, is in love with a commoner and is having his own ex-general's wife sleeping in his room. As for me, I married a Fire Nation admiral, ran around in men's clothes, slept in a tent full of men, and kissed another man while still being married. And liked it.

"I just don't want you to fight him." I confessed.

"That's too bad," He replied. "Because I can't wait to get my hands on that son of a chicken pig."

I giggled at the thought of Zhao having a chicken pig for a mother. The feeling of his arms around me was comforting. It was probably the only comfort I've had since I was married. I was still married though, and it shouldn't be a comfort to be in another man's arms. Bringing my hands up to his chest, I slightly pushed him away.

"My husband is still out there. I don't want to be disloyal."

Zuko frowned and I could read his confusion. It took another little push before he let go.

"I understand." He became distant again. "Zhao is a lucky man. He doesn't deserve you."

My heart constricted, and it felt like it was slowing down. It seemed to be happening a lot around him. Taking my hand in his, he slowly raised it to his lips.

"Good night, Mrs. Zhao."

He then lightly pressed his lips to the back of my hand. I could sense him trying to let go of his feelings for me. He straightened up gave a sad smile, then crawled into his bed without another word. I sagged back into the pillows. I felt empty, drained of all my energy. Once again, tears stung my eyes and I cursed myself for not being stronger. Before I knew it, sleep started to take over. I let myself drift farther and farther into an empty abyss.

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**AN: I know that Zuko was way OCC in this chapter, (The whole thing about honor and love,) but because this story is being written from Song's perspective I couldn't find a way to write that without him saying it. **

**I would like to thank aniek90 for your reviews. I opened my email, and was like, "Wow!" It was encouraging and helpful.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Waake uuup!!" It was Katara.

I groaned and rolled over. My eyes were closed but I could tell that she was crawling onto the end of my bed. _What is she doing here? _Slowly, I opened my eyes. As I sat up, Katara bounced a little to get my attention.

"Where's Zuko?" I asked.

Katara rolled her eyes but had a small smile.

"He left the palace early this morning."

"Hmm. Do you know when he will be back?" I asked as I threw off my covers and stood up. I went behind the changing screen and saw a cute dress waiting to be worn.

Katara jumped off the bed and answered, "No. But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" My voice asked from behind the screen.

"I came because I think you have been keeping something from me. It's time to spill it."

"About what?"

"Admiral Zhao." I didn't say anything, so she continued. "I know that everyone knows something, that I don't. It's not fair for you to leave me in the dark."

Coming out from behind my screen, I said, "It wasn't my choice. Aang, Iroh and Toph all learned their information from Zuko."

"Well why don't you tell me what it is?"

"Because, it's not something I want everyone to know."

I looked over at her, and saw how sad she was. She had been a great friend, making sure that I was safe as we crossed the Serpent's Pass and she knew that her companions had knowledge of my past, but had kept silent.

"You won't think of me any differently, will you?"

She thought for a moment then answered, "I don't really know. I'll try not to."

_Well at least she's honest._

"Admiral Zhao, is my husband. I didn't know what he was until after we were married. Believe me, if I had known who he was, I would have never married him. He had used me to get into Ba Sing Se."

She gasped and said, "Song I-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Why did you marry him if you didn't know who he was?"

"He had offered me and my mother a home and protection. It was all I ever needed in life."

She shook her head vigorously and said, "No. What about love? Everyone need some of it in their life."

"Not me." I replied coldly.

She became angry at my hollowness. "What about Zuko? He loves you and you love him. Everyone in that room knows it after last night."

"Yes we do love each other, very much. But our hands are tied. We can't be together."

"How does Zuko feel about this?"

"He understands what needs to be done."

A knock at the door interrupted our conversation.

"Come in." I said.

The door opened and my prince, I mean, Zuko (who is not my husband) walked in.

He laid eyes on Katara and said, "I'm sorry, did I come at a bad time?"

"No." Katara answered crisply. "I was just about to leave anyway."

She was still angry at me. Zuko gave me an inquiring glance, but I just rolled my eyes in return. Katara walked over to the door and yanked it open. She tossed me a quick wink over her shoulder, then departed.

As soon as the door shut with a satisfying click, Zuko turned to me and said, "I don't want to know."

Good. I thought. Because I don't want to tell you.

"Soo," He started. "I wanted to show you something in the lower ring. That is if you have time."

I smiled at him and replied, "I would. But unfortunately I'm under strict rules to stay in the palace."

"It's okay if you're with me."

"Alright then, when do you want to leave?"

He contemplated this for a moment then said, "How about now?"

Without waiting for an answer, he strode over to the door and pulled it open. I stood there for a moment, wondering what had gotten into him. Shaking my head, I followed him out.

As we walked through the long hallway, the sound of loud voices got our attention. They were coming from Aang's meeting room. We snuck up to the door to see what was the problem. It had conveniently been left open.

"Why won't you do anything about them?" I heard Katara practically yell.

"Will you please be quiet. The whole palace will hear you. Now as for your request, I can't do that. It's not my place." Aang's voice replied.

Zuko moved closer to me, to hear better. My back was pressed to the wall while he faced me.

"It's not like your going to ship them off or anything, but at least make the offer."

"Katara, please. We are in the middle of planning a battle. It's not time to worry about Zuko and Song's love life."

My face flushed a scarlet red when I realized that she was talking about us.

"BUT THEY LOVE EACHOTHER!! Don't you think they should at least spent some time away from this mess before we have to fight?"

I moved closer to the open door and could see that it was only them inside. Zuko followed my lead. By now, he was half on top of me, his body pressing closer to mine. _I'm married, I'm married, I'm married… _Aang moved closer to Katara and placed a hand on her upper arm.

"Why are you so worried about them so much?"

The question seemed to shock her for a moment before she replied, "I believe that if someone loves someone, that they should spend as much time as they can together. With this war, you never know if it will be their last."

Aang frowned then replied, "Your right Katara."

With that he kissed her vigorously. I had never seen someone kiss another with that much passion. My breathing quickened as I realized that Zuko had moved even closer to me. She deepened the kiss, and held him tight. When they released each other, their lips were swollen. Both of them were panting for air.

"I love you Katara. I always have."

By now, neither Zuko or I were watching the happy couple. He leaned down, and my breath caught in my throat. Inside the room, we could hear them kissing again. Apparently Katara felt the same about Aang. I closed my eyes and waited to feel his lips on mine. Zuko suddenly pulled away.

"We should get going." He said as he looked at the front entrance.

I didn't trust my voice, so I just nodded and followed him out.

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**AN: That last part was fun to write. The conversation between Katara and Song was somewhat taken from _Pride and Prejudice_. I love that book. Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

We had to keep to the shadows as I followed Zuko to this mysterious place. The whole city had transformed from shops and houses, to an army camp.

"The Upper Ring holds the training ground for non-benders and their sleeping area. The large homes were saved for generals, captains and any other high ranking man. In the Middle Ring, there are shops near the library that are being used as war, delivery, and document rooms.

"There, they would plan for battle, send out the orders, and document it all. The Lower ring is used mainly for earthbenders. It was only because that's where we were able to get the most dirt. Even though the soldiers were divided in to separate rings, they're still able to go anywhere." Zuko explained to me as we walked.

It was amazing, how lifeless the city had become. Children were no longer playing in the streets, and the sound of a female voice was gone.

When Zuko and I reached the Lower Ring, we were almost caught. The man who was walking by had almost seen me, but didn't. How would it look like to see the Fire Nation's banished prince running around with a woman? Not just any woman, Admiral Zhao's wife. I shuddered at the thought and promised to be more careful.

"Where here." He announced as he pulled at the doors to a small shop.

There were a few small round tables, chairs and a front counter.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finally understanding. "It's Iroh's tea shop!"

He laughed and said, "Yes, it is."

Walking over to a table, he ran a finger through the thin layer of dust.

"My uncle loved this place. He told me that it was a blessing that we had been given a second chance."

I remembered how Zuko had told me about this shop. It was after they had left my place, but before Azula took over. Iroh and Zuko were living a new life.

"When the war is over, will you open it back up?"

"It's my uncle's decision. If he wants to bring it back to life, I'll be the first to help him do it."

Satisfied with his answer, I nodded. I walked over to a table close to the door and wondered how ironic it was that Zuko and I were able to meet again. He had been living in the Lower Ring, and I in Upper Ring. There were thousands of people in Ba Sing Se. When Azula had ordered a coup, hundreds were arrested thrown into the prisons for fighting back. I wasn't even fighting back and I was still thrown in a hole. Amazingly, it was the same hole as Iroh. Some would say it was destiny, but I think it was luck.

There was a sound of breaking glass and a quiet curse.

"Zuko? What did you break?"

He didn't reply. I looked up to see his body alert, his eyes quickly scanning the area. It was then that I realized it wasn't him. My body became rigid with fear. Slowly, Zuko moved into a fighting stance. He motioned for me to get down. I laid down on my stomach, trying to become invisible. There was a scuttle, this time I heard that it was coming from the back room.

Suddenly, a familar looking girl came out of the door that led to the back. The tea cup that she had been holding slipped from her grasp the moment she saw him. It fell to the ground and shattered, but she didn't care. She stared at Zuko, as he stared back. They obviously knew each other. I figured that since he wasn't attacking, she must be okay. I tried to get off the floor, but a nail had somehow caught on to the front of my dress. There was no light in the corner, where I was, so I couldn't see how to get it off.

As I fumbled blindly at it, she whispered, "Li?"

My breath caught in my throat. It wasn't the fact that she knew who he was, it was the way she said his name. It was full of build up emotion behind it. Before I had a chance to get up, she crossed the room exceptionally quick and kissed him.

I could hear my heart scream in agony.

Without thinking, I stood up. The front of my dress tore in half, but I didn't care. Zuko had long ago detached himself from her, but he still looked as if I caught him doing something wrong. My pulse had quickened, my cheeks flushed and I was breathing hard. So this is what it felt like seeing the one you love in the arms of another. The girl at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Zuko was looking at me pleadingly. Normally, it would have made me weak at the knees, but it only made me hurt even more. The silence became too much for me. I turned on my heel and ran to the door.

"Wait!" The girl called. It was so commanding, it stopped me. "Let me get you a coat to cover your.."

She then gestured at her chest and disappeared into the back room. _So that's why she looked embarrassed. _I suddenly felt sick.

"Song?" Zuko's low voice caught my attention.

My head snapped up and I looked at him with a vacant look.

"I have no right to be angry. We don't have a steady relationship, so you're free to do what you want. Besides, I'm still married."

He seemed hurt by this and started, "But-"

"I don't want to talk right now. It seems you have some catching up to do anyway. I'll see you at the palace."

Without waiting for the coat, I left. Cold air met my lungs once I was outside. Because it was summer, it wasn't expected. As I walked through the alley, part on me whished that I had a coat. Not the one that was offered. I wanted to cry, long and hard, but I couldn't. It wasn't my place. Zuko is a free man to do what he wants. If that includes seeing other… It's his choice. _Will you stop your whining? It was only a kiss. _

"Right, only a kiss." I told myself.

All I had to do was convince myself that it meant nothing. Ugg! Why did I care so much! It wasn't like we were engaged or married. We weren't bound to each other in anyway. Suddenly, my inner voices started having a confrontation.

_He is my best friend, nothing more._

_Is it considered 'more' when you LOVE them? _

_No. Don't think like that he's your __friend._

"Song!" His voice broke up the debate in my head.

For a moment I was frustrated. _He's going to get you both caught_. I knew the only way to get him to stop calling, was to face him. So I stopped and waited for him to catch up. I heard scuffling somewhere in the alley, and an uneasy feeling settled itself in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I should wait for him at the palace. It sounded like a good idea, so I turned to leave. There was an opening at the end of my path, marking my way into the Middle Ring. Unfortunately, a man blocked my exit. Instantly, I knew it wasn't Zuko for two reasons. One, he was taller and broader. Two, he was mercilessly dragging someone by the neck.

"Zhao." I said his name with as much hatred as I could muster.

This time, I refused to be scared.

That was, until I saw who he was holding: My mother.

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**AN: Okay people, please, please review. I don't like begging, but I seem to be doing it a lot lately. Nobody has reviewed for the last TWO chapters. It makes me sad.**


	10. Chapter 10

I had never felt so terrified in my entire life. She looked horrible. Both of her eyes were black, and there were welts all over her body. Her right arm was in an awkward position, it must be broken. Small cuts were bleeding, and there were horrible burn marks on her chest. It's a wonder she's still alive.

"Hmm. My dear wife. Please, follow me."

I had no choice but to comply. Ruthlessly, he dragged my mother into a nearby business. I followed closely by, keeping my eye on my mother. It was a fortune tellers shop. I could hear my mother moan from pain, and see her eyes water. I was scared, but tried not to show it. There were curtains everywhere. It seems that Zhao didn't want someone to see us.

"Don't worry, she'll live. If you do what I tell you." He knew that I didn't have a choice. "I want you to come with me."

"What would you-"

"But first, I want you to break Zuko's heart. Make him bleed." He said through grit teeth.

"That can't be the only reason."

"It isn't, but I figured hurting him and making him suffer would satisfy me more than putting him out of his misery."

"Your sick." I said with disgust.

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "That's the way I was born. Now, you better do some heart-breaking if you want to see your mother alive ever again."

"How am I suppose to do that?" I whispered.

"Tell him you don't love him. Tell him you hate him for what he's done."

"He won't believe me."

"Oh but he will. You know why? Because he knows your hurting."

My eyes grew wide at his knowledge.

"How did you know? Did you plan with that girl to-"

"No. She did that on her own. I had been waiting for the right time to talk to you. That girl seemed to fit right into my plan."

"Song!" Zuko's voice called out for me.

"Right on cue." My husband purred. He gestured for me to leave. "Oh, and Song? If you tell him about me and my plan, I'll kill her."

"I don't even know all your plan."

"You will. After you do your part."

I walked out of the shop and waited for Zuko. I didn't wait long.

"There you are."

His face and body visibly relaxed upon seeing me. It made him look even more handsome than before. My knees went weak at the sight, but I had to stay strong.

"Leave me alone." I replied.

I tried to stay reserved, but the look on his face wanted me to break down and tell him everything.

"What are you talking about. I thought we were okay."

"That's what you thought, but we're not. You have done things in the past that are unforgivable. Your last action was the icing on the cake for me. You have hurt too many people." Taking a deep breath, I said those last awful words. "I hate you."

He seemed stunned for a second, but it quickly disappeared.

Shaking his head vigorously, he said, "I don't believe you. I've been hurt enough to know that you didn't mean that. You, of all people wouldn't-"

"Wouldn't what?" I cut in, trying to anger him. It worked.

With his brow knit together, he responded, "Wouldn't hurt someone on purpose. Especially someone you love."

He knew me too well. I was becoming desperate, so I tried a different approach.

"I never meant to make you feel that way, it was a mistake."

That really pissed him off.

"A MISTAKE?!?" He roared. "Song, we love each other. We showed each other our love for the other in every possible way."

"Not every way." I said quietly. The color in his face drained, I locked eyes with him. _This was it._ "Not in the way my husband did."

It wasn't true. None of it was, but I had to make him believe it was the truth. If he believed that I had made love to another, he would leave and never look back. I could tell it was a knife to his heart. His muscular chest rose and fell quickly. He didn't do or say anything and it scared me. Part of me wished he would yell, that way at least I knew he was angry. Right now, his face was empty of any feeling. Without saying another word, he left for the tea shop. He didn't stomp off in anger or drag his feet in sadness, he just, left. The only sign of any emotion I saw was the stiffness in his back and shoulders.

I stood there and wept openly. Tears rolled down my face, but I made no move to wipe them. I feel even worse now than I did before. I wanted to die at that moment, knowing what my words had done to him. After a minuet or so passed, I went back to the shop.

"Well done my darling wife."

"What else do you want with me."

"I want you to follow me."

Zhao led me to a back room where a single man stood. His outfit was one I would never forget. A Dai Li agent. Zuko had told me about Azula making a 'deal' with them. That's how she took over the city. Apparently, a man named Long Feng made some kind of deal with her, but she took charge. Now, she's not only commanding a Fire Nation army, but the Dai Li too.

There was nothing else in the there, except a wooden staff sticking out of a small hole in the middle of the room. Zhao snapped his fingers and the Dai Li agent pulled the wooden staff out. Light came up and out if the tiny hole. Using his earthbending, he created a opening about seven feet deep and seven feet wide. At the bottom of the opening was the same tiny hole, light still coming out of it.

Zhao jumped in and pulled my mother with him. She gasped from the sudden movement, agony written on her face. It made me want to cry, seeing the pain in her eyes. He held his other hand to me, but I slapped it away. This seemed to amuse him for some reason. I jumped in and the Dai Li agent followed. Zhao lifted his palm and let a small fire burn. Curious about the small hole, I peeked in. I could tell that it went a long ways down. The earthbender covered our opening and with a flick of his wrist he made the earth under our feet stick to the ceiling above. Slowly, we started our decent.

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**AN: Sadness! But you know what makes me happy? Reviews! Guess what? I got 14 reviews! A new record for me!**


	11. Chapter 11

Zhao saw me looking at the light that came out of the hole.

"It leads us to the underground tunnel. The Dai Li didn't want anyone to find a cave or secret passage way, so they use this small hole as a guide." Zhao was speaking to me, but I refused to make eye contact. I hated him so much.

"The Dai Li made a tunnel for Azula?"

"You don't deserve to know, but seeing how it's going to be your new home, I don't see any danger in telling you. No, they didn't build it for her. They have many tunnels throughout the years. We are going to the tunnel of Maraki. It's one of the smaller tunnels and you could fit all of Ba Sing Se inside."

Our decent stopped and the earthbender kicked at the wall in front of us. The wall fell away, to revile an army camp. There were hundreds of white tents with the Fire Nation insignia on the side. Zhao pulled my mother forward and ordered me to keep up. _Don't hurt her. _I silently commanded. If I was to say it out loud, he would probably kill her. As I followed him, I could see firebenders dueling each other. Others were using a variety of weapons. They were brutal, constantly clashing together in combat.

It was then that realization hit me. Azula's army has gathered under Ba Sing Se. The entire time we had been waiting to see ships sailing over the horizon, or men by the thousands marching on foot. Either way, we would've had a chance with the wall to help us. Not now. Now Azula's army could attack at any moment, completely wiping out the Avatar's army.

Despair tried to cover me, but I fought back. There must be hope. All I have to do is get back up to the surface and tell Aang what's going on hundreds of feet below the surface. _Ya, that's all I have to do._

Zhao pulled my mother and I in one of the larger tents. A Fire Nation soldier inside immediately seized my mother.

"Put her in chains and place her in the middle of the camp." Zhao ordered.

"No." I begged.

My plead fell on deaf ears. She was barely conscious as the soldier took her away. My eyes followed her as she left. It was quiet, and I realized that we were alone.

"Don't hurt her."

He started walking slowly towards me, and said, "She won't hurt nearly as much as your going to."

With that, he tackled me and pinned my arms to the ground.

"Nooo!!" I screamed. "Please, no."

By now tears ran down the sides of my face. I knew his intentions. He swung one leg over me and sat down.

"Don't worry dear, It only hurts if you want it to."

"Noo, I don't wanttt-"

"That's too bad, because I need someone to carry an heir to the throne. He will be the next Fire Lord. That is after me."

He bent down and covered my neck with slimy kisses. It was so violating, and yet it was only the beginning.

"What do you mean 'the next Fire Lord.'?" I managed to say.

"Nothing, all you have to do is give me a son. It's only a small part of my plan."

He let go of my arms to reached for the row of buttons down the back of my dress. I kept moving so he wouldn't be able to get to them.

"Stop moving or I'll burn the dress off you."

I wanted to know what he meant about producing an heir, but at the same time I didn't want him to get my dress off. He pushed my skirts up to about my thigh.

"You know," I started. "This would be more pleasurable if I were willing."

"Yes it would, but unfortunately, you aren't."

He grabbed the opening at my chest and ripped it open. The only thing I was wearing was my slip.

As he reached for it, I said hastily, "I would, for a trade."

_Am I insane?!?_ He stopped and blinked a few times.

"What kind of trade?" At least he was interested.

"I'll be willing, if you tell me what your plan is." I held my breath and waited.

He frowned and thought of my proposal. "Alright. I don't see any harm in it. I'll tell you what it is, but only while we continue. You must be willing though."

In response, I pulled the torn dress out from underneath me. He seemed to like that.

"My plan," He started as he grabbed my ankles and pulled me closer. "Is to become Fire Lord."

"How, exactly are you going to achieve that?" I asked seductively. It made me want to puke. He became even more excited now than before.

"I'm going to kill Azula and Zuko. You see," He said as he pulled off his armor. "I sent a letter to the Avatar, telling him that I had his girlfriends, and to fight if he wanted them back. I wanted their army to strike first."

He pulled off his arm guards, and was finished. "Why did you want us to strike first?" I got up on my knees and ran my hand over his heaving chest.

"Because, I figured if they were to give the first punch, they would have a chance of winning. If the Avatar and his friends took Azula out, the rest would be easy. I could surrender, tell them I've changed, and eventually poison them all in their sleep. Then before the next sunrise, I would have delivered the Avatar to the Fire Lord. With both of his children dead, he'd have to pass the title on to someone else. Someone with a pregnant wife."

So that was his plan. The only thing I didn't have an answer to was how he knew that we 'girlfriends' were missing. I asked him my last question as my hands worked his shirt off.

"There was a girl who said that she was following you. I pretended to be a soldier, and interrogated her. She told me of how she wanted to get back. So I let her in through the tunnels. I figured she could serve as some kind of distraction."

Now that I knew his plan, all I needed to do was escape. Swallowing hard, I kissed him. His tongue forced itself into my mouth, and I had to play along. It was disgusting. I had never aloud someone to kiss me like that, and was sure that I wouldn't kiss like that again. Slowly, I pushed him back, forcing him to lay down. Now I was that was straddling the other.

His pressure point was barely above my fingertips. If I could just... Suddenly, the tent door opened and a authoritative girl walked in. She was covered from head to foot in armor.

"I know your busy right now Zhao, but I would like to have a quick meeting with you."

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**AN: Thank God for Azula! Okay, I need to explain really quickly about the light at the beginning of the chapter. Think of an elavator. The tiny light would serve as a cable. I just wanted to say thank you to all of my reviewers! We made it to 15 reviews!! Woohoo!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Zhao pushed me off of him and jumped up quicker than I thought possible. Not that I didn't mind, it stopped us from kissing. Unfortunately, I now had the distinct taste of alcohol in my mouth.

"Princess Azula." He said as he fumbled with his shirt.

It was fun seeing him so flustered. At same time though, this girls presence seemed to suffocate anything good in this situation. Zhao looked down and saw that I was just sitting there, with only a slip on.

"GET UP!!!" He yelled then smacked me across the face.

My cheek stung but I just glared at him, refusing to move. He just had to hit me. _That_ pissed me off. Now he was going to suffer for it by looking like an idiot in front of the Princess.

"Well, well, well, Zhao. It looks like your bitch won't move. If you can't handle a single woman, then what makes you think I should let you command more of my men?"

His breathing accelerated as fire danced between his fingertips. What did she mean, that Zhao wanted more men under his command? _Probably to help him become Fire Lord. _

Suddenly, fire burst out of his palm straight for my face. I covered myself with my bare arms. My hands screamed from the pain that hit me. The fire seemed to get hotter and hotter, with no sign of letting up. Tears started to well up in my eyes from the pain that seemed to be getting more and more excruciating every moment.

"Stop! You need me!" I yelled out of desperation.

He responded by letting his fire burn brighter.

"STOP!"

The command came from Princess Azula. Instantly, his fire died. My fingertips moved and I cried out in pain. It hurt so bad, I knew I might never be able to use my hands again. Slowly bringing them down, I saw that I had second degree burns. The skin smelled awful, and most of it had turned a shade of deep red.

"Why did you say that Zhao needed you?" Princess Azula asked me.

I looked up at her inquiringly. I tried to say something, but my throat was so dry, I was afraid my voice was gone.

Looking at Zhao she asked, "Is she stupid?"

"Zhao," I said, finally finding my voice. "Said that he needed me because," My gaze switched from Princess Azula to my husband. "He wants me to carry the next Fire Lord. That is, after him."

Zhao swung his arm around and pointed straight at me. A sheet of fire came shooting towards my throat, but this time I was prepared. I laid down on my back as the fire flew inches above my head. There was a whoosh, and a dull thud. Looking behind me I saw a sharp rock right next to my neck. _Maybe I could play dead. _I knew it what I had to do. Moving slightly to my right, I let my head fall down on the rock. Blood trickled down the back of my neck. All of a sudden, a bright light filled the tent. Closing my eyes, I prayed that he believed I was no longer alive. There was a scream, then nothing. Warm liquid touched my foot, and a rancid smell filled the area.

"Look at the next Fire Lord now." Princess Azula said quietly.

Holding my breath, I waited to hear what was going to happen next. Her footsteps were small, but her armor made a small creaking sound with every movement. It was getting louder and louder. _She's walking over to me. _I felt two fingers reach under my head to feel the sharp rock imbedded into the back of my neck.

"Damn. I was hoping to kill her myself."

I could then hear her walk briskly out of the tent. Now I was able to breath. My eyes opened and instantly fell on Zhao. He was laying face down in the dirt. Blood surrounded him. There was a hole in his back the size of my fist. My stomach churned and I vomited from the sight. I went to wipe my mouth, but then realized that my hands were burned. I sat up and used my knee.

"Mai! I want you to move all of the men to the inner tunnel. We will go straight to the palace from there. Tell all of the captains, generals and admirals that we will attack tomorrow at dawn." Princess Azula commanded. I could see her shadow through the fabric of the tent. Another shadow sauntered up to hers, and bowed.

"Yes Azula. I don't see why we are taking over the city again. Why did we leave to begin with?"

I could hear her laugh quietly and say, "When we went back to the Fire Nation, I knew that Zuzu would go all noble and try to save this place and the Avatar would try and reclaim the city. What they didn't know was that I knew about these tunnels. You see, if I was gone, that's where everyone was going to be. They fell right into my trap."

"You are quite the mastermind." Mai commented dryly. "What do you want to do with the prisoners?"

"Zhao and the woman he was with are dead. As for the old hag, take her to Lake Laogai and leave her there. She'll die knowing there was nothing she could do."

My mother was still alive! _Maybe I could save her when they all leave. _Men started getting into formation, (Or so I assumed.) and eventually shadows were steadily moving past my tent. There was a loud roar of armor banging against the rocky ground, orders being yelled and something rather large being rolled past me. Any light that was brought down here was extinguish. Some soldiers had a little flame with them, but as they walked away, the light faded. Eventually, it was completely dark and silent. I was alone, in the dark, with a body.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me opened up and swallowed me. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Shhhh! There's no need to scream." Someone next to me said into my ear.

"Toph?!?" I responded. Tears started to well up in my eyes at the sound of her voice.

"We need to get out of here. Sit down." She commanded.

Before I had a chance to ask why, we flew straight up. Wind ripped at my clothes and roared in my ears. Gravity was pushing me down. Sometime during our ascent, I had started screaming. Light was above us, and was coming closer every second. There was a hole that seemed to be our way our. We were a few feet away from the whole when Toph slowed us down, almost to a stop. We emerged from the hole and I saw that we were in a room in the palace.

There was a bed, changing screen and clothes nearby. Zuko and Iroh were standing by, shock written on their faces. Their eyes studied me closely. _I wonder why?_ I thought sarcastically. My hair was everywhere, my hands and arms burned, I was splattered with blood, and my cheek was bruised. Not to mention, the only thing I was wearing, was a thin silk slip. That was bound to get some looks.

"You look horrible." Iroh commented.

Zuko's eyes burned with some unknown emotion. It looked like rage. I could only hope that it wasn't directed towards me.

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**AN: Ohh! You guys guess what... I saw the cover of season three's dvd!! It's soo exciting! The dvd is expected to come out in october, so I'm guessing that the new episodes will come out sometime in september. You can see the cover too, go to my profile and click the link. A list will pop up and you will want to click the first one. It says something about season three's dvd. You won't be dissapointed!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh dear spirits!" Someone in the background whispered.

I leaned slightly to the left, trying to see around Iroh's round form. Katara came running to my side, already bending water out of her animal skin. She first healed my right arm, then the left. It was quiet in the room. Without saying a word, she quickly scanned me for any more injuries. When she was finished, she stood back and frowned. I looked around and saw that the girl from the tea shop was there. Everyone was staring at me, making the situation even more uncomfortable. To top it all off, it was a brutally hot summer day.

Trying to ignore the looks, I asked, "How did you find me?"

It wasn't the most appropriate thing to say, considering they just rescued and healed me. I could have said I was sorry for my idiocy, or thanked them for rescuing me.

"Jin told us of Zhao's underground tunnel. Toph found out the rest." Zuko answered. His eyes were so intense, I had to look away.

"How long was I gone for? What time is it?"

"It's early morning. You were gone the entire night." He responded.

"What happened to you?" Iroh whispered.

The silence that followed was suffocating, but I couldn't answer. I only could think of the pain I had put Zuko through.

"Maybe later." Katara said, still frowning. "Well give you some time before you have to talk to us, but we're going to have to know what happened."

"We have to get my mother." I said, suddenly panicked. "She's somewhere called Lake Laogai. If we don't get her soon…" My sentence hung there, unfinished.

"You are staying right here." Zuko said, striding to my side.

He looked determined, scared and angry. I was the only one in the room who could read him this well. Except Iroh.

"But my mother-"

Katara cut in. "Don't worry, we'll get her. You need to stay here and do what you need to do to feel better."

Iroh, Jin, Katara and Zuko headed for the door.

"Wait!" I called. "Zuko, will you stay?"

He nodded, but stayed a good distance away. I wanted to run to him, to have him hold me close, but he stayed reserved. I had to explain to him that I didn't mean to hurt him.

"Zuko, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. Zhao had my mother, he was going to kill her. He said that if I didn't …'Make you bleed'…, she'd die."

By the time I was finished, tears were streaming down my face. I wanted to say more, but it was too painful. Pictures of the pain in my mother's eyes, Zhao's bloody death, and my near pregnancy flashed before my eyes.

"I understand." He said quietly, but he still kept his distance.

He was struggling with himself, I could tell.

"Zuko nothing that I said was true." I wanted him to believe me, to trust me.

It seemed though, that nothing that was said would make a difference. _Except…_

"I love you."

My voice was soft, but every word rang true, and he knew it. He reached out and grabbed my hand.

"I love you too." He absentmindedly rubbed the back of my hand and continued. "Don't ever forget that."

He pulled me closer and rubbed my tears away with his other hand.

"You should know, what I said, hurt me as much as it hurt you. I didn't mean a word of it."

His beautiful gold eyes met mine. "I think I already knew it wasn't true. That's why I went back to see Jin. There had to been some reason for you to act the way you did."

When he mentioned her name, I felt a twinge of jealousy. It must have shown on my face, because his grip on my hand tightened.

"She means nothing to me." He said. "You see, when uncle and I moved here, she became a regular customer at our tea shop. Uncle pushed me and pushed me to take her on a date. I didn't want to, but in the end…" He smiled sheepishly then continued. "I took her out to dinner. She wanted to talk, but it wasn't easy for me. Not like it is with you. She wanted to show me this fountain, it had torches all over the place, and when they are lit, light dances off the surface. They weren't lit though, and it made her sad. The look on her face reminded me of how you looked when you told me about your father. I told her to close her eyes, and lit the torches. She was ecstatic. We then… kissed."

"I don't think I want to hear anymore." I tried to pull my hand out of his, but it was impossible.

"Please," He begged. "Let me finish." I didn't protest, so he continued. "I couldn't do it for long though, it seemed wrong. I took her home and never took her out again. I didn't feel anything when I kissed her, not like it is with you. She won't get in between us. _No one _will get in between us." He cupped my face in his hands and smiled. "That includes your husband."

The blood drained from my face and I felt unstable. _My husband. _My stomach churned uncomfortably.

"I won't let him hurt you." Zuko added hurriedly at the look on my face.

"No," I whispered. "You don't have to. He's dead."

Zuko visibly recoiled at this.

"Are you sure?" He whispered urgently.

"I saw it happen. Where else do you think this blood came from?" I asked as I gestured to my slip.

"Who did it?"

"Azula. She found out his plan." He looked confused, so I explained. "I was able to… c-coax, his plan out of him. Azula dropped in and… I told her his plan. She killed him right there."

"How did you stay alive?" His eyes were full of concern for me.

"I pretended to be dead. She seemed to buy it."

As soon as I finished, he pulled me into his arms. My breath was knocked out of me, and my heart sped up. For the first time, I was incredibly aware of the feel of his body pressed close to mine.

"I had hoped that you would have never had to meet her. I'm sorry you had to see that." He said as he kissed the top of my head.

The muscles underneath his shirt rippled with every movement. My breathing accelerated, and I didn't know why.

"I'm sorry too." I managed to say.

Suddenly, outside our door, screaming pierced the hall. There was some kind of war cry, a boom then a clash of armor and swords.

Zuko pulled back and said, "Stay here."

Before I could object, he sprinted to the door. Wrenching it open, he took one last glance at me before silently disappearing. As the door slowly closed, I saw what the screaming was about. Fire licked the draperies and smoke clouded the area. Guards were fighting Fire Nation soldiers. There were fallen men everywhere. Before the door completely shut, I saw a lone figure staring right at me. Azula.

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**AN: I hate that girl. She just keeps popping up. Please, let me know what you think. What do you think will happen?**


	14. Chapter 14

Fear struck the back of my throat. I instantly looked for a way out. Azula now knew I was alive, and knew where I was. Unfortunately, the room I was in, had no windows or other exits. Fighting continued on outside, but it wasn't as intense as before. I heard someone slam against my door, and the breath being knocked out of them. A roar erupted, and a bluish gray light pushed it's way underneath the door. The earth beneath my feet started shaking, and an explosion boomed through the halls. As soon as it started, it finished. All was quiet. I strained to hear something, anything. I could hear several quiet moans, and the sound of someone running towards my door. Panicked, I dove behind the changing screen. The door opened with such force, it slammed against the wall, creating a loud bang.

"SONG!!" Aang's voice yelled.

I came out from my hiding place to see him standing in the doorway, holding Katara in his arms. She was unconscious and bleeding from the head and lower abdomen.

"Put her on the bed." I commanded.

He obeyed, but only moved a foot away. I ran over to her and tore a piece of cloth from the bed sheet and went to work bandaging her head. It was bleeding profusely, and I was hoping she hadn't lost too much blood. Her lower stomach wasn't bleeding as much as her head, but the injury was much more severe. There seemed to be a small rock that had shot right into her, right by her ovaries. I didn't know if I could get it out, but I had to try.

"I'm going to kill her." Aang muttered under his breath.

"Katara!?" I asked, shocked.

"No! No, Azula."

"What happened?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if to block out the pain, then spoke. "Azula and a group of her soldiers attacked the palace. She came up from the ground, totally unexpected. We fought hard, but were losing. I tried to get Azula down by a bending a large rock in her direction. But instead of avoiding it, like I anticipated, she shot a bolt of fire right at it. It burst apart, pieces of rock flying in every direction. Katara was looking in the other direction…"

His eyes started misting up. "It was all my fault. If I had been more careful-"

"You tried to do the right thing." I soothed.

He nodded then continued his story. "One of the larger pieces slammed into her and she flew back into your door. I ran over to her and saw the damage. It made me so angry, I went into the Avatar State, and started fighting everyone. She managed to calm me down before she lost consciousness."

I was curious what happened after that, but didn't press fore more.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" He asked, desperate for a good answer.

I bit my lower lip and looked at Katara's broken form. Her head was bandaged, but blood was already seeping through. Her breathing was shallow and uneven. I leaned back down and tried to clean around the hole in her lower abdomen.

My words were careful as I responded, "I can't promise anything, but I will be here to take care of her."

He nodded then asked, "What is your conclusion?"

I took a deep breath then said, "It looks like she has a concussion. If she stays like this for long, she might be in a coma. I'm not the most experienced healer, but she seems to have the signs."

He looked nervous as he asked, "What about her, umm… lower stomach?"

It was a confusing question, but I answered none the less. "That is a harder one. There is a rock lodged in there. I can't get it out without risking her life."

"Maybe I can get it."

He lifted his hand and pressed it against her stomach, right below her bellybutton. His hand closed into a fist, then pulled straight up. The rock flew out, covered in blood. He deposited it by throwing it across the room. Katara's lower stomach started bleeding even more.

"No." I whispered as I grabbed the rest of the torn sheet and covered the wound with it.

"What?!?" Aang asked, suddenly aware of how much blood was coming out of her.

"The rock might have cut an artery. Quick, go get a needle and thread."

"Where?"

"The infirmary. There is a box with the sign'health' on it. Grab the whole box."

With amazing speed, he left. Technically, I was not a doctor, and only doctors are aloud to do the procedure I was about to perform. My mother had had me see doctors work like this before, so that way my knowledge grew. I had seen these horrible injuries before, and knew what to do, but had never done it.

I slipped my fingers into her wound, and found the damaged artery. I stuck my fingers over the cut, to keep it from bleeding even more. Aang came running back in, the box in hand.

"What are you doing?!?" He yelled, outraged.

"I'm trying to keep her alive. Open the box and get the needle and thread."

He did as I told him to.

"Make the thread long." I paused as he obeyed. "Now put it through the eye of the needle and knot the end."

When he was finished, he handed me the needle with clumsy fingers. I took a deep breath, and went to work.

---

I was about half way through with my work when Sokka came bursting in and demanded to know what happened. He was covered in soot and blood. Aang's voice was hoarse as retold his story. Sokka then switched his attention to me.

"How long have you been a nurse?" He quizzed.

"For most of my life." I responded.

He interrogated me for a while, but he soon realized that he had run out of questions.

I wasn't surprised when he finally asked, "What is your diagnostic?"

"She has a concussion, and because she hasn't woken up yet, most likely in a coma. As for as this," I nodded my head towards her lower abdomen. "It's not good."

My personal worries were far worse than I was going to say. The rock was dangerously close to her ovaries. If it had done any damage, there was nothing I could do. If that happened, that would mean she couldn't get pregnant.

He sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"You should probably try and clean up." I finally said. "If you have any minor cuts, they might get infected."

Sokka looked up and said, "I'm not going anywhere. What if she wakes up?"

"She won't be waking up anytime soon. Besides, if you do get an infection, you could fall terribly ill. That won't be good for her when she wakes up."

He nodded and left, vowing to return in ten minuets.

Looking at Aang I said, "You should do the same."

"No. I can't leave her." He said quietly, not taking his eyes off of her.

* * *

**AN: Just so you know, things will be starting to get a little dark from this point on. I had to keep in mind that they were in the middle of a war and that in this particular one it bring nothing but pain. Somewhere far in the future though, good things start to happen again.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Warning: This is where thing start to get dark.**

* * *

I knew it was no use trying to persuade him otherwise, so I dropped it. Aang sat by her side and whispered sweet things into her ear the entire time. She was still unconscious when I was finished, so I was fairly sure she was in a coma. Sokka returned and took his place on the other side of her bed.

"Do you happen to know where Zuko is?" I asked Sokka.

He looked up at me and responded, "He took after Azula and her friends. He should be back by now. Aang had orders us not to leave Ba Sing Se. So unless he disobeyed… "

I nodded, gathered the bloody sheets and quietly left. Zuko was waiting for me on the other side of the door.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I don't know." I answered.

He took the bloody sheets from my arms, threw them on the ground, and grabbed my hand.

"Why did you throw the sheets on the ground?" I asked. "I was going to wash those."

"Song, you need to clean up yourself first."

I blushed and refused to look down. _I must look horrible. _Zuko led me to a nearby room with a large washbasin and fresh clothes. There was a small bed, and a rickety table next to it.

"I'll wait for you outside." He said as he left.

I cleaned myself up and changed my clothes. It wasn't nearly as refreshing as a bath, but still nice. The entire time, my mother's face sat there, begging me to heal her. I exited the room, and like he said, Zuko was waiting for me.

"You look much better." He said as he held out the crook of his arm for me.

I took it and said, "Thank you."

We walked down the hall towards the room Katara laid in. Zuko was silent and his muscles were tense. He was alert for anything.

"Song," He started, his tone serious. "You need to tell us what happened to you, and what you found out."

I knew this talk was going to happen, I just didn't want to resurface those feelings.

Taking a deep breath, I began my story.

"After I left the tea shop, Zhao came to me, with my mother. He was holding her hostage. She's really hurt. We have to get her."

"Song, we're going to do what we can. Toph is out there, looking for her. Please, continue."

"Okay. He told me that he wanted me to hurt you, to say something to break your heart. So, I did."

"You already told me that."

"Ya, I did." _This was much harder than I thought. _"He then took me into an empty shop, from there, he led me to an underground tunnel. There were Fire Nation soldiers everywhere. There were even some Dai Li agents. Zhao took me into his tent and.." This was not something Zuko needed to know. "Told me his plan."

Zuko seemed suspicious, but asked, "What was his plan?"

"He was planning to become Fire Lord. You see, the reason he sent a messenger, to invite you to fight Azula's army, is because he figured you could kill each other off. When you were tired and wounded from fighting, he finish off anyone who was living. Except, of course, the Avatar. With you and Azula dead, the Fire Lord would have no descendants. In doing so, he would pass on the title to someone who was alive and with a pregnant wife." I didn't even realize what I had said until the words left my lips.

"Someone who had captured the Avatar." His eyes hardened as he said this.

_At least he didn't realize what I had said._

His eyes widened and he yelled, "WAIT!! YOUR PREGNANT?!?"

_I guess he did._

"Hush! Don't talk like that." I scolded, my cheeks burning.

"ARE YOU?" He pressed.

"No, I'm not."

"Oh." A blush had spread across his face. "Good."

We were silent, embarrassed at ourselves. Before we had a chance to say anything, the earth in front of us started shaking.

"Get behind me." He ordered as he got into a fighting stance.

The earth opened up, and Toph came out. My mother followed closely by, but was laying on a piece of earth, her eyes closed.

"Oh thank you Toph!" I said as I flew towards her.

Toph's face was grim as she responded, "Don't thank me yet. Her heart is barely beating."

I gasped at the new information. Taking my mother's wrist, I felt her weak pulse. _No. This can't happen. Not now. _I did a quick review of my mother's injuries and realized my worst nightmare was coming true. Some of her ribs were broken, her breathing was irregular, her right arm was broken in several places and there were fresh cuts and burns all over her body. _Maybe I can heal her somehow. _It was in vain, but I had to try.

"Zuko, go to the room Katara's in, and get the box that's by her bed. Toph, try and find a doctor."

They ran off, fulfilling the tasks I set out for them. I took my mother's hand and kissed her palm. Tears were begging to flow down my cheeks, but I refused to cry. Not now. My mother's eyes flittered open and stared right at me.

"Song." Her voice was weak and brittle.

"Don't speak." I ordered, trying to stay calm.

"There's nothing you can do for me."

"Yes there is." I didn't want to hear her to talk like this.

"Your right. You can help ease the pain a little. But there is nothing more you can do. Be a good girl."

"Mother! Don't say that! I am going to heal you. You are going to get better." Panic started taking over me. My hands started trembling.

"Song, one of my broken ribs has punctured my stomach. As we speak, I'm dying. I need to tell you some things, so listen because I don't have much time."

Tears streamed down my face, but I didn't argue, knowing it was true.

"I know all about Zhao." She continued. "Zuko told me. He also told me that he would protect you from any threat, and I'll hold him to that. What you did, by following Zhao, was foolish, but I'm glad. If you hadn't, I would have died without talking to you for the last time." Her breathing became incredibly shallow. She took a shaky breath and whispered, "I love you Song."

She then closed her eyes and sighed. It was the last breath she took.

* * *

**AN: I know, It's really sad, but I felt like it would be better that way. Awful, isn't it?**


	16. Chapter 16

"NOOO!!!" I screamed. "DON'T LEAVE ME!"

I threw my head against her chest, but didn't hear a heart beat.

"Please, please, no." I sobbed into her dress.

My whole world came crashing down around me. _I'm alone_. I had no one to hold me, no family to turn to. Despair covered me like a blanket.

"Song!" Zuko's voice yelled somewhere in the background. I didn't know how long he had been standing there, and I didn't care.

_I'm alone._

His arms wrapped around me and rocked my shaking form. My heart wanted to stop beating, to join her. She had been there every day of my life, she was my mother. Now she was gone.

"She's gone." I kept whispering to myself.

"Shh. It'll be okay." He soothed. "She isn't hurting anymore."

"She isn't hurting, but I am."

My sobs echoed through the empty halls. Guards and soldiers came running towards us, to see what was wrong. Zuko whispered something to a nearby guard, and he nodded. Grief had devoured me whole. _I'm alone._ My body was shaking uncontrollably, and a permanent chill seemed to settle in my bones. The man Zuko had whispered to, bent down and scooped my mother up in his arms.

"No! Don't take her! She's still warm."

I lurched forward and grabbed her hand. Despite the heat, she was quickly growing cold. My vision was blurred because of my tears, but I made eye contact with the guard and glared at him with ferocity.

"Song, please calm down. He's just moving her to a more appropriate area so she doesn't have to lay in the hall."

I must have been breathing too deeply, because I started to feel dizzy.

"I'm sorry." Fresh tears streamed down my face.

"Come on." Zuko put his arm around my waist and led the guard and I back to the room I had changed in.

The guard laid my mother down on the bed and left. By now, I had made my tears stop, but hiccups kept escaping my lips. I reached for her hand, but stopped. All my life, her hand had been warm. A sign of life. Now, things were different. I was afraid that if I touched her, she would be cold. A sign of death. It would all become real. If I touch her, I can't wake up from this nightmare from hell. Taking a shaky breath, I took her hand in mine. It was cold.

---

I sat there for hours, staring at her lifeless form. Willing it to start breathing again. No matter how many times I told myself that she was gone, it was still unbelievable. To make things worse, Earth Kingdom soldiers invaded the tunnels, to find them empty. Azula had gotten away.

Zuko stayed close by my side as I mourned. He tried to leave once, to give me privacy, but I started panicking and telling him that I didn't want to be alone. I was a wreck. _She's gone. _

That night, Iroh, Zuko and I prepared my mother for burial. Normally, the women would help in this, but seeing as how Toph was blind, Katara was in a coma, and Jin was not a friend of mine, I was once again alone.

The funeral was not a big or fancy one. The only people who attended were Iroh, Zuko, Toph and I. Three out of four of us had known her. Only one of us was family. She was buried in the cemetery in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. Normally, that would be a great honor. Something to be proud of. I didn't feel proud. The only thing I felt, was grief.

Toph bent a hole with a light layer of dust on the inside. We placed my mother inside, and Toph did the rest. Right afterward, a general ran up to Zuko and Iroh.

"Sir." He said as he bowed to Iroh and Zuko in turn. His gaze landed on Zuko as he spoke. "We have new information concerning the war. The war generals would like to have a meeting."

Iroh was the one to answer. "General Fong, don't you realize that we have just buried Miss. Song's mother? Why would you want to talk about a subject that only brings more death?" His voice was even, but there was a deadly tone in it.

Zuko grabbed my hand and glared at the general.

"No, it okay." I said, breaking up the hostility. "Zuko, go. If we ever have a chance to end this thing, we should do it now."

His eyes searched my face before asking, "Are you sure?"

I nodded, feeling slightly confident. "Yes. We have both been neglecting our duties."

He frowned but nodded. Iroh looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and then motioned for the general to lead the way.

"Zuko!"

He stopped and looked at me. "Yes?"

I swallowed hard then asked, "Where is the box?"

"Umm…" He looked as if he swallowed a fire berry. "I'll have someone take it back to Katara's room."

"Oh."

It was _there. _It's where she…

I turned and walked back to the palace at a brisk speed. Zuko and Iroh followed the general in a different direction. When I entered Katara's room, Aang was curled up next to her, asleep. One arm was stretched across her stomach, above her wound, while the other was around her shoulders. For some reason, it made me cry.

I quietly went over the Aang and shook his shoulder. He jumped a little and looked up at me with sleep filled eyes.

"Oh, Song. I thought you were Sokka." He breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "I'm sorry about your mother. I would have come to the burial, but Katara… I-I couldn't leave her. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Aang. I'm sorry I woke you, but the war generals want to have a meeting. I'll take care of her until you return."

He nodded reluctantly and jumped out of bed.

"Could you not tell Sokka about this for me?" He seemed really nervous.

"My lips are sealed."

Normally, I would have thought this situation would be somewhat funny, but I had no humor in me at the moment. Aang bent down and gave Katara a quick peck on the lips.

"I love you. I'll be right back." He mumbled.

He glanced at me, straightened, and left. I stood there for a moment, then saw the box. Katara's breathing was normal now, a good sign. Now is the time when I immerse myself in work, to fight off grief.

I lifted one of her eyelids, and saw that her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. It was like she was sleeping. Now it was only a matter of time before she wakes up. I lifted her dress up to her stomach, and changed her bandage. It seemed to be healing quickly, maybe it was because of her powers.

I gasped, a new thought, a genius idea, came to mind. It might not work, but it was worth a try. I ran over to the door and opened it up. Just like I predicted, Aang had posted guards outside.

"Please," I asked the closest guard. "Can I have one of you get a bucket of water?"

The guard shook his head and responded, "Avatar Aang said to guard this room."

My temper flared. "If you don't get that bucket of water, it may mean Katara's life. That would make the Avatar, very, very angry. You want to make him angry, do you?"

It was the right thing to say. Their eyes widened in fear as they shook their heads. Without saying anything, the guard closest to me sped off. I retreated into the room and went back to Katara's side.

A quiet knock at the door startled me. Before I had a chance to answer, Sokka entered.

"Hey." He said as he took his place in the other side of Katara.

It had been only a few hours since this happened, but he looked tired and aged.

"Hi." I responded quietly.

"How is she?"

"She's doing better. I think I may have an idea. She heals with water right?"

"Yes, but every time she does it, she's awake."

"It's worth a try."

As if on cue, the guard came in with the bucket of water. Sokka got up and took it from him.

"Set it next to her." I ordered.

He did, then said, "Do you think this will work?"

"Maybe." Was my answer.

I experimented by taking one of her hands that had a cut on it, and slipping it under the water. The cut glowed, then healed over. _Yes! _It was going to work. Sokka ran to the door and ordered a large bath tub to be brought.

"I don't want to drown her." I said, suddenly panicked at the thought of putting someone in a coma, underwater.

"We won't." He said, a smile playing on his lips.

* * *

**AN: No, Sokka isn't planning to drown his sister. After I re-read it I thought, _gee, it sounds kinda evil._ He's smiling because there is a chance for her to wake up. **

**Here's a little piece of trivia for ya, General Fong is an actual character. He was the general in the episode 'The Avartar State'. Please review!!**


	17. Chapter 17

It was going to take about thirty minuets for the guards to fill and bring the tub. In that time, I talked with Sokka. It turns out that he's a non-bender, like me. He's a hard worker, and doesn't deal well with family sickness.

"Is that why you come and go?" I asked.

"Ya, It is. I've been keeping myself busy by planning the invasion."

"Invasion?"

"Yes. Aang has to fight Fire Lord Ozai and win. When that happens, the war will be over. We have to invade the Fire Nation in order for him to fight, though. Because Ozai won't get off his lazy butt and come here."

"Are Zuko and Iroh going too?"

"Yes, they have drawn maps and helped in every way, but we're going to need them to get into the palace."

I didn't see how that was going to happen, but I let it go. Zuko will be leaving, and anything happens to him… _I'll be alone_. It was selfish to think of myself.

"What about Katara and Toph?" I asked, desperate to think of something else.

"They will be going too. Toph will be commanding the earthbenders, and Katara will be by Aang's side."

As soon as he finished, the guards came in with the tub, Aang following closely by. The tub was defiantly big enough for her. They set it down, the water sloshing, and left.

"How is she?" Aang asked as he ran to Katara's side.

Sokka rolled his eyes as I responded, "She's doing better."

The three of us picked her up and slipped her body under the water. We made sure her head was still above water. Instantly, her cuts and injuries started glowing. She gasped, and took a deep breath, but her eyes stayed closed.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Aang asked, suddenly worried.

"Her head needs to heal first." I pointed out.

Sokka walked to the end of the tub, wrapped his hands around her ankles, and pulled. Before Aang could react, her head disappeared under the surface. It glowed, and her eyes opened. Aang reached under the water and pulled her up by the shoulders. She gasped for air. They stared at each other, neither could speak. I had formed a lump in my throat. Aang then pulled Katara into his arms and kissed her. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Okay! That's enough!" Sokka said in a raised voice. "Not in front of me."

Aang flew back and stammered, "S-Sokka! I-I was just… I'm sooo sorry, I-"

"Aang," Sokka said as he approached him. "I knew this was going to happen. Just don't do it in front of me."

Aang nodded, speechless.

Katara stood up and stepped out of the tub. Water dripped from her clothes and hair, creating pools at her feet. She wobbled a bit then sat down on the bed.

"It's nice to have you back sis." Sokka said as he hugged her.

"It's nice to be back." Her voice was hoarse, but she was happy. She turned to me and said, "I'm glad you took care of me."

"It's least I could do." I said as I clasped my hands in front of me.

"You kept me from dying. I know it. What happened to me?" She asked. She seemed more excited than terrified.

"You had a concussion and fell into a coma." I answered. "There were minor cuts and scrapes all over your body."

"Ya!" Aang added. "Tell her about the rock that flew into her."

Katara looked at me frowning. "What happened?"

"A rock shot into your lower abdomen. It cut an artery."

"Oh my!" She exclaimed. Now she was worried.

"You lost a lot of blood. There was, umm, something I observed as I was stitching it up."

I didn't want to embarrass her in front of Aang and Sokka, but she needed to know.

She asked, "What is it?"

"It's a personal matter." I said as I looked at the two boys.

"What is it?" Aang asked, not getting it.

"Nothing Aang," Sokka answered. "It's just girl talk for 'get out'."

He took Aang by the collar and drove him out of the room.

Katara looked at me, her eyes filled with fear. She knew where I had stitched her up at, and knew the several vital organs that lived nearby.

I took a deep breath and said, "I was afraid that your ovaries were damaged."

"It's a good thing I healed then, isn't it?"

"Katara, the thing is, your not completely well. Your body needs to make more blood, and I can tell that your head still hurts. Yes, your out of a coma, and most of your body is healed, but not everything. Does your lower abdomen hurt?"

She looked down and mumbled, "A little."

"I'm sorry. I tried to do everything I could. I'll look in some scrolls and see if I can brew up some kind of remedy to help your ovaries."

"Thank you Song."

"Your welcome. Now try and get some rest."

"Okay." She said quietly.

She laid down and turned over as I took a deep breath and left. Aang was sitting by the door, waiting to go back in.

"I'm sorry Aang. She's getting some rest."

His face fell as he said, "Okay." But he went in anyway.

The lump that had formed in my throat had grown considerably. _My mother is dead, Zuko and Iroh are going to leave, Katara might not be able to have kids, and I'm alone. _

The guard that stood by the door, cleared his throat. I hadn't even know he was there.

"Yes?" I asked irritably.

"Prince Zuko wants me to escort you to his room."

"Lead the way."

We entered his room, to find it empty. Sure there was a bed, tea table, chairs, clothes, blankets and a changing screen, but it was empty of life.

"Prince Zuko is in a meeting, but he should be out soon." He said as he closed the door.

* * *

**AN: I know this wasn't the most exciting chapter, but oh well. I'll do better on the next chapter, I promise.**


	18. Chapter 18

I changed into a light nightgown, because of the brutal heat. Ten minuets later, Zuko came in and went directly over to the changing screen. He was already taking his long sleeve shirt off.

"How are you doing?" He asked behind the screen.

Thankfully, it was too tall for me to see him.

"No so well." I responded fighting off tears that threatened to flow down my cheeks.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"My mother." I whispered as I sat down on the bed.

He was quiet, not knowing how to respond. He finished changing and came out wearing a green button up shirt with no sleeves. His pants were made of a lighter material. The muscles in his arms were perfectly sculpted, and I suddenly wondered what they would feel like under my fingertips. I looked up to see that his face was slightly flushed from the heat.

"Song, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

He was so earnest, I started weeping again.

"Please, don't cry."

He came over to me and held me close.

"She's gone, and I'm alone."

I knew that I should be over it by now, but it was so unbelievable. He sat down in the bed and pulled me into his lap.

"Your not alone," He soothed. "You've got me."

"But you, your going back to the Fire Nation to fight. What if you don't come back."

"I'll will come back." He said as his hold on me tightened.

"How can you be sure? I could lose you."

_Stop being so selfish. _An inner voice told me. I ignored it.

He sighed, and said, "Well then, like Katara said, '…if someone loves someone, they should spend as much time as they can together.'"

I don't know what came over me after that, all I knew was that I kissed him. On some kind of impulse.

He kissed me back, but was somewhat surprised. I lifted my hand and ran it through his hair, deepening the kiss. His tongue reached out and asked for entrance, I complied. We explored each others' mouths, and loving every moment. From there we kissed viciously, pressing our bodies close together. I laid on my back, while Zuko made a trail of kisses across my neck and collar bone. I pressed my hands against his chest. Not to push him away, but to have the feel of his muscles under my fingertips.

This was so wrong, but I didn't care. Something inside of me took over my mind and body. _More. _It kept saying. That's what I wanted. I ran my fingers along the length of his arm, making him shiver.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear as he got on top of me.

"I love you too." I breathed as I pulled him back down for more.

As we continued to kiss, my fingers found the buttons of his shirt. I didn't know how I did it, but before we knew it, his shirt was completely open. I ran my hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat.

His hand found the bottom of my nightgown and pushed it up. Not all the way, but it was pretty close. I took his hand and ran it over my stomach, slowly leading it down. All of a sudden, he jumped up and got off the bed.

"What?" I asked, a bit confused.

He was breathing hard and I noticed that I was too.

He started buttoning up his shirt and said, "This is wrong. We shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" I reached out to him, still wanting more.

"It's wrong. I should have been more in control. You're vulnerable."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. Your mother just died, you saw you husband's gruesome body, and you were put through a thousand different feelings and decisions today."

"Zuko! Please!"

I covered my ears. Everything came rushing back to me. When we were kissing, everything had disappeared. I didn't feel any pain from my mother's death. The only thing I felt was his body close to mine. In that short time, I felt like I was someone else.

"Song, please listed." He said as he pulled my hands away from my ears. "I wanted to, I really did, but neither of us were thinking. It was all.. physical."

"I'm sorry." I said as I looked into his eyes. "It's just that, I didn't want to stop."

"Neither did I." He gave me a crooked smile.

My heart fluttered and my stomach churned. I don't think I'll ever get tired of those feelings. He then started to gather blankets for his bed. I sat there, not knowing what to do.

"Zuko?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"When did you talk to my mother?"

It was a random question, but I had to know. It obviously caught him off guard, because he just looked at me for a moment.

"I, uh, talked to her when you were changing that one time, remember?"

"What did you talk about?"

"You." He smiled, then continued. "I told her everything. About Zhao, the garden, who I was, and how I had 'killed' your husband."

"What did she say to that?"

"She said it was a good thing. 'He was a jerk anyway. Song deserves much better.'"

I thought of my mother, and could see her saying that. It even made me giggle.

"What else did you talk about?"

"Nothing." He muttered all too quickly.

The way he said it made believe that it wasn't just nothing. There was something else. According to his sudden blush, it was embarrassing.

"Come on Zuko! What is it?"

"I told her that I was in love with her daughter."

I could feel my cheeks burn, but ignored it.There was more to it, but I didn't press any further. He bent down and finished making his bed.

"You should try and get some sleep." He wisely advised.

"Okay."

I got under the covers and waited for sleep to take over me. The only thing is, I kept think of the war. Katara, Toph, Aang, Sokka, Zuko and Iroh will all be leaving. I had formed relationships with all of them. Have gotten to know all of them in different ways.

Katara was the first girl to talk to me, and not think that I was strange. She was a little dramatic at times, but she was always there when you needed her. Well, when she's not in a coma.

Toph acts like she's nothing but toughness, but it's only her outer shell. She cares a lot about her friends. Underneath the dirt and grime, she a little girl. I would never tell her to face though.

Sokka. I hadn't known him for long, but he an easy one to read. At first, you would think, 'He's nothing but a guy who likes meat, and is sarcastic all the time.' but there's more to him. He's always trying to do the right thing.

Iroh, well he's like the uncle I never had. He's wise, funny, and is protective of Zuko. I don't know much about his past, but I would be ecstatic to have him around.

Aang is so.. Well, there really isn't a way to describe him. He's like the four elements. They are different, but can work with each other when you find the right balance.

And lastly, Zuko. He's the love of my life, what more do I need to say?

All of these people, my friends, are leaving to try and save the world. I don't want to lose a single person. There has already been too many deaths. I would normally throw a fit and demand to come, but it'll be the warfront and I can't fight. I'll be nothing but a distraction, to my own people.

Frustrated, I rolled over and looked out at the night sky. The moon was covered by clouds. A bad omen? I hopped not.

* * *

**AN: I felt that it was important to have a chapter that involved temptation. For, as some of you know, it's a hard thing to resist. The reason I didn't have them have sex, was because I wanted to keep this as close as possible to the Avatar universe. Not only that, but Song was going through a rough time. When you go through something that emotional, you don't think clearly. Some people turn to sex, drinking and drugs to 'relieve' themselves of their pain. You only come to regret it later. But they didn't do anything, so that's good. Besides, I think it makes Zuko even hotter. He he. Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

I had a horrible time trying to get to sleep. First the covers became a nuisance, and then guards outside our door started laughing and being boisterous. Zuko got up and yelled profanities at them. On his way back in, he looked over at me, sadness in his eyes. I looked back at him contently. He sighed, then laid back down. I don't know what the exchange was about, but he seemed to be having some inner battle.

Suddenly, someone began knocking desperately on our door.

"Song, let me in!" It was Katara.

Before Zuko had a chance to tell me not to answer, I yelled, "Come in."

She burst through the door, tears in her eyes. Her braid was coming undone and her clothes were ruffled.

"I'm so sorry." She said as she hugged me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, bewildered by her actions.

She pulled back and whispered, "Aang told me about your mother. This entire time I was worried about myself, when you are going through something much worse."

"Oh." I really didn't know what to say about that.

Aang came tripping through the door saying, "Katara!"

His shirt was undone and his face was red. Oh, so _that's_ what they were up to.

"Aang!" Katara said as she stood up and strode over to him. "I can't believe you didn't tell me earlier! I had to.." A blush spread across her face. "Had to, coax it out of you."

Somewhere by the fireplace, I heard Zuko say, "Sure, coaxed it out of him. I can tell what really happened."

So did I.

Katara's blush grew even deeper.

"I didn't think it was my place!" Aang said in his defense, ignoring Zuko's comment.

She started to say something, but I cut in. "Katara, please. Aang was just trying to do the right thing."

She turned around, her face still flushed and said, "I'm sorry Song. I don't mean to put even more pressure on you."

"Don't worry about it. I probably would have reacted the same way."

It wasn't true, but I didn't want to make her feel even worse.

"Come on Katara. Let's let Zuko and Song get back to bed." Aang mumbled.

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning Song."

She took Aang by the arm and led him out. I looked over at Zuko to see him standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, afraid to be alone.

"No where. I was just going to change."

"But it's the middle of the night, don't you want to go back to bed?"

"I can't sleep."

Neither could I. My mind was still spinning from our earlier… conversation. Even though I realized that what we almost did would have been wrong, I still wanted to feel his body next to mine.

"You should try and get some sleep." He said from behind the screen.

"What about you?"

He sighed, then answered, "I'll go get some scrolls and maps to study. I might even find something to help the Avatar."

"Okay." I said then rolled over.

There was something he was keeping from me. I couldn't help but think this was somehow connected with his conversation with my mother. The subject he wouldn't talk to me about. Was it the war? It was the only explanation I could think of. The door quietly shut, telling me that he just left. I was tired, and the night became warm and cozy. Slowly, I fell asleep.

---

It was still dark outside when I woke up. Zuko was still gone. Sitting up, I pushed the blankets off of me and jumped down. The cold stone floor sent shivers down my spine as I walked over to the changing screen. A plain, clean dress hung there for me. I changed and went over to the door. I was just about to open it when the sound of voices bought my attention.

"Thank you uncle. You have been so helpful." I heard Zuko say.

There was a chuckle, then, "No need for thanks. It is my pleasure. No, my honor."

"So we'll see you later, in the court yard. Well, at least I hope to see you."

"This is no time for doubt, Prince Zuko. If you have any uncertainties, you should deal with them first."

"No uncle. I don't have any doubts. My mind was made up when I thought Zhao was dead. I'm worried about her."

I assumed that he was talking about me. _Who else would he be talking about? What were they talking about? Was it the war?_

"She will make an honest decision. Whether you like it or not, it will be the best for both of you."

"Thank you uncle."

I quickly jumped away from the door and ran over to the changing screen. As soon as I was completely concealed, the door opened. Zuko walked in and stopped.

"Song?" He called.

"I'm right here." My voice called out from behind the screen.

_What were they talking about? _It was driving me crazy.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asked.

"I um… I really don't know. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." I walked out to see him standing by the window, looking at the morning stars. "Where were you?"

"I was returning the scrolls." He didn't look me.

"Did you find anything useful?"

His gaze finally drifted over to mine. "No I didn't." He paused then said, "Listen Song, I think I should tell you the Avatar's plan for the invasion."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because you have a right to know. For too long I have kept you in the dark. I didn't want to cause your heart any more pain." He said as he wrapped me in his arms.

He knew that my father had been taken because of the war, and now my mother was dead at the hand of a Fire Nation admiral. It was a sensitive subject for me.

"Thank you for your protection, but as far as my heart goes, it will heal."

He nodded and said, "Alright then. Avatar Aang will be leading a fleet of ships containing Earth and Waterbenders. There will be warriors from everywhere. We will be as quiet as we can for as long as we can. When the time is right, we will strike.

"Toph will then create some kind of shield, with Katara, Aang, Sokka, uncle and I inside. We will use it to conserve our energy. When we get to the palace gates, Toph will then turn it into dust. It will create confusion and give the Avatar a chance to fight my father.

"Aang will fight him, hopefully defeat him. Meanwhile, Katara, Sokka and Toph will be right there, fighting off the guards. My uncle will be recruiting some men; from the Fire Nation."

"Where will you be?" I asked in a whisper.

"I have a score to settle with my sister." He simply replied.

"Be careful."

He looked deep into my eyes and said, "I will."

I felt as if he was looking straight into my soul, his gaze was so intense.

"I'll miss you." I said as I buried my face in his shirt.

"What are you talking about?" He asked. "Your coming with me."

* * *

**AN: Okay, the last chapter had no reviews. That makes me sad. But I guess, it's understandable, I mean, what are you going to say about an almost sex chap? _I can't wait for more?_ lol. So anyway, I was hoping to get 30 reviews soon so please make my dream come true. I wat to know, what do you think Zuko's up to? Any theory is accepted.**


	20. Chapter 20

I pulled back and searched his face for any sign of lying. I found none.

My heart started beating really fast as I asked, "What? I'm going with you?"

He smiled and said, "Well, yes. That is, if you want to come."

"Of course I do! I don't ever want to leave you again."

He bent down and kissed my forehead. "Neither do I."

My heart felt like a weight had been lifted. _I was going with him. _

"You do realize that you will be with me until we reach land." He said, his voice stern.

"I do now."

"You will stay there with the other warfront nurses. When the battle ends, you come and treat the wounded. That is if we win. If something goes wrong, the captain has orders to flee."

I should have seen this coming, but it hurt anyway.

"I understand."

We stood there for a moment, just holding each other. The far hills started glowing, the beginning of the sunrise.

Zuko cleared his throat and said, "Would you mind if we had breakfast with the Avatar and his friends?"

"No, not at all." Once again, I felt like he was keeping something from me.

"Alright then, let's go." He said as he pushed me towards the door.

His eagerness raised even more suspicion in me.

We entered Aang's room to see a traditional table with six cushions around it. Fruits, pastries, breads and dried meats sat in bowls in the center. Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka were waiting for us.

"Where's Iroh?" I asked.

"He's planning with the war generals." Zuko said, a bit bothered by my question.

We sat down and the feasting began. Sokka practically launched himself at the bowl of meat, Aang asked for the fruit and Toph rudely grabbed for the pastries. I reached for the bread, the only thing left.

"So Snoozles," Toph began. "Do you mind if we get some of the meat?"

Sokka, who was eating right out of the bowl, said, "You'll get some. I call Aang's share."

"You already ate Aang's share." Katara interjected.

She took the bowl of fruit and passed it to Zuko. He just passed it to me.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.

"I'm not very hungry." He replied.

I was about to ask him why he wanted to eat with Aang, when Sokka yelled, "I call dibs on Zuko's share!"

"You probably already ate that too." Toph said smugly.

Sokka's reply was nothing more than a grunt.

I took a pastry and put it on my plate. Picking up the piece of bread, I took a bite. This was the first meal I had ever had without formalities. Sure, when it was just me and my mother, I didn't have to worry about my manners. But this was different. This was a bunch of friends eating breakfast, and in Toph's case, yelling for the meat.

"Come on Sokka! I'll earthbend that bowl out of your hands if you don't pass it this way in two seconds."

Sokka's eyes narrowed as he clutched the bowl to his chest. "You wouldn't dare."

In response, Toph shot a piece of earth out of the ground towards him. He yelled, and dropped the bowl. She then motioned for the earth to carry it to her. She had a satisfied look on her face as she reached into the bowl.

"Hey! You only left three pieces!" She yelled.

"I would have had those too if you hadn't been so mean." He retorted.

I finished off my bread and started on my pastry. It was a nice beginning to the day. I'm normally not someone who likes watching people fight, but this was entertaining. Besides, it was more like playful banter anyway.

I looked over to see that Zuko still hadn't touched anything.

"Here." I said as I grabbed another pastry and put it on his plate. "You need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry." Was his reply.

I sighed and gave up. He was the most stubborn person I had ever met.

"So Aang," Katara started. "I still think you should do it."

Aang rolled his eyes. "Not again Katara. I told you a thousand times, it's not my place."

"Not your place for what?" Toph asked.

I already knew what they were talking about. Zuko and I had listen in on their conversation on what it seemed months ago.

"It's not my place to send Zuko and Song away." He replied, not looking at us.

"Why would you want to do that?" Sokka asked, his mouth full of pastries.

"Because they love each other!" Katara yelled. "Am I the only one who sees it?"

"No Katara, your not." Aang replied. He sounded as if he said it a lot.

This was so amusing. I looked up at Zuko, to see if he thought it was as funny as I did. He was looking at me, his face a little pale.

"Are you sick?" I asked quietly.

First he doesn't eat, and now he's a little pale. He swallowed hard and shook his head.

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Katara asked. "I mean, they deserve a little time to themselves, away from this war. We are going to invade in a little less than a month. If something happens," She gulped but continued. "They will at least have the time that they've had."

Sokka asked, "Huh?"

Katara ignored her brother and persist. "Please Aang."

Aang opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when Zuko abruptly stood up.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He took a deep breath and whispered, "Katara's right."

He then got down on his knee and said, "Song, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even if that means 'til the end of the month. I've been giving it a great deal of thought, and since we are both thinking clearly…"

My heart was in my throat and was beating so loud, I could hear it. My stomach churned and flipped, and my palms started sweating. The room became incredibly quiet. Zuko took my hands in his, and looked at me with pure love in his eyes. He licked his lips then continued.

"Song, will you marry me?"

My mouth dried out. Somewhere in the background I heard Katara gasp. Zuko's gaze was unmoving. I tried to think of something memorable to say.

"Yes." I breathed. "Yes, I will marry you."

He gave a sigh of relief and kissed me. Tears of joy started welling up in my eyes. I was so happy, my heart felt like it was breaking.

"Yes, I will marry you." I repeated as we kissed.

We pulled apart and smiled at each other. He hugged me and I didn't want to let go. His breathing was rapid, quick short breaths.

"Yes!" Sokka exclaimed. "Toph, you owe me two silver pieces."

"Oh, my! Aang, this is so exciting!" Katara said, her eyes shining. "When are you going to do it?"

I looked at Zuko for an answer.

"As soon as possible." He said. "That is, if you want to do it today. We could have a formal wedding with all the planning."

"No," I said quickly. "Today. No planning."

"Alright." He responded.

We beamed at each other, happiness surround us.

Still looking at me, he asked, "Will someone please pass the bread? I'm starving."

* * *

**AN: Squee! So what did you think? Come on, I want to know!!!**


	21. Chapter 21

Sokka threw a roll and Zuko caught it with amazing agility.

"Come on Song," Katara said as she pulled at my arm. "We have to get you ready."

Toph was standing behind her, trying to conceal her delight for me. I stood up and followed them out, giving Zuko a quick wink. As soon as we were out in the hall, we ran as fast as we could back to my room. We burst through the door, to find a simple, but beautiful white dress laying on the bed. It was completely made of silk. There was a small pattern of gold ivy weaving in and out.

"He planed this. That little sneak." Katara commented, a broad smile on her face.

_He did! So this is what he was planning._ On the little tea table were various containers of makeup. Next to the containers were several combs laid out. They were made of ivory, pearls, opals, topaz, and every gem known to man.

A large full length mirror had been placed by the fireplace. This was amazing, I only wish my mother could be here.

"Song, wait!" Zuko's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Come in." I said. The urgency in his voice scared me.

He entered looking a little flustered. He looked around and blinked a few times.

"Wow. He really knew what he was doing." He mumbled. In a louder voice, he asked, "Can I talk to you alone?"

"Sure."

My heart started thumping again, this time in fear. Katara and Toph were already leaving.

As soon as the door shut, I asked, "You haven't changed your mind have you?"

"Me?" He asked, bewildered at the thought. "No. No, not me."

"Then what is it?"

"I wanted to make sure this is what you wanted. I don't want you to feel pressured to marry me."

I laughed at the suggestion. "This is all I ever wanted. You could even ask Iroh. As far as being pressured goes, I'm marrying you on my own decision."

"You don't want to send out invitation, and have a ton of guests?" His eyes were probing me for any lie.

"No. The only guest I want is my mother, and you can't send her an invitation." I ended bitterly.

"Well," He said as he cupped my face in his hands. "If it makes you feel any better, she knew I wanted to marry you."

"What?" I asked, completely surprised.

"When I talked to her, I had asked for your hand in marriage, and she said yes."

I gasped, then laughed. "Was this before or after you told her you killed my husband?"

He smiled that radiant smile. "After."

I shook my head and laughed even harder than before. "I love you."

"I love you." He replied as he bend down to kiss me.

We were so close, but unfortunately we were stopped.

Toph kicked the door in and yelled, "NOT BEFORE THE WEDDING!!!"

Zuko shook his head and asked, "How did you know? I thought you only feel vibrations?"

"I do." She answered curtly. "But both of your hearts started beating so hard, I could feel it on the other side of the door."

Katara, who was standing behind Toph, started giggling.

"Alright." Zuko said, surrendering. "Song, I'll meet you in the court yard."

"Okay." I breathed.

He gave me a swift kiss on the cheek and left.

"Come on Song!" Katara said as she jumped up to me. "Put your dress on!"

---

Thirty minuets later, I looked in the mirror and was surprised at what I saw. A woman stood there. She was wearing a beautiful silk dress, light makeup, and an ivory comb in her hair. She was beautiful.

"Song, I've never seen a more stunning bride." Katara said as she stepped up next to me in the mirror.

"It's too bad I can't see." Toph commented.

I didn't know what to say, so I said, "Let's not keep Zuko waiting. I don't want him to think that I ran away."

I led the way out, my head held high. Guards mumbled comments and their eyes followed me as I walked to the court yard. It didn't bother me, it was flattering.

We entered the court yard to see Sokka and Zuko standing at the far end, in deep conversation. Zuko was wearing a red silk shirt and black pants. He was so handsome. Sokka murmured something, and then Zuko nodded enthusiastically. In response, Sokka laughed out loud. Zuko blushed, then looked up. Instantly, his face became blank. His mouth slightly hung open, and his eyes looked nowhere but me.

I walked up to Zuko, my hands outstretched. He took them, still staring.

"So," I started. "What do you think?"

He was speechless. I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

"You," He breathed. "You look, amazing. I've never seen someone so… I can't find the words. You are so beautiful."

"Thank you." I blushed under my makeup.

"So, now that the bride is here," A familiar voice said. "We can get on with the wedding."

I looked towards the palace, to see Iroh walking up the path to join us.

"Iroh!" I exclaimed as I ran up and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Of course, Song. Who else is going to marry you two? And please call me uncle."

"You're marrying us?" This day kept getting better and better.

"Yes I am. That is, if you would like."

"Yes! I wouldn't pick anyone else." I said enthusiastically.

We walked up to Zuko and got into our positions. I stood across Zuko, holding his hands in mine. Iroh stood on my left, in the center. Katara, Sokka and Toph stood on my right. The only one I was paying attention to was my prince. Iroh cleared his throat, and began.

---

It was a short, sweet wedding. I wouldn't have had it any other way. We had said our pieces and exchanged simple rings. We then kissed, sealing our future. From this day on, I will be known as Zuko's wife. _Zuko's wife. Zuko is my husband. _They were basic thoughts, but it was still hard to wrap my mind around them. We walked back into the palace and went to Aang's meeting room.

Zuko sat down on the couch and pulled me into his lap.

"Oh!" I exclaimed then laughed.

He kissed me softly, barely brushing his lips against mine. He pulled back, and I had trouble breathing. _This is my husband. _I was so giddy, so happy, nothing could ruin my good mood.

"Please! Get a room!" Toph said as she tossed us a look with her blind eyes.

Zuko and I blushed viciously, knowing just how deep that comment really went.

"We will." Zuko said bravely.

"Zuko!" I scolded, humiliated.

I buried my face in his neck, to hide my embarrassment. Katara started giggling like an idiot and Sokka gave Zuko a high five.

"Song," Zuko whispered into my hair. "We are married now."

My heart started beating so hard, I was afraid everyone could hear it.

"Is that a subtle hint?" I retorted, my face still in his neck.

"It is if you want it to be."

"Oh! You just won't stop, will you?" I asked, finally pulling back.

He just grinned at me.

* * *

**AN: Can you guess what's going to happen next? lol.**

**Just so you know, when Song says, "**...**You could even ask Iroh." She's referring to the first time she talked to Iroh in the cave.**

**Okay, I never thought I'd get 34 reviews, Jumps around and yells "Woohoo!" So I want to try and make it to 40 reviews. That would be da bomb. **

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed, I loved each and every one.**


	22. Chapter 22

"So," He began. "What did you want to do for our honeymoon?"

Before I had a chance to answer, Sokka said, "I think the right question is _where _are you going for your honeymoon. We all know _what_ you're going to do."

"SOKKA!!" Katara yelled as she punched him in arm.

I giggled, even though I was mortified. I leaned down and touched my forehead to his.

"Why don't we go to your room?" I asked quietly, lifting an eyebrow.

His eyes grew huge. He nodded enthusiastically, picked me up and carried me out without saying a word to the others.

A chorus of 'Ohh's followed us. I kissed him hard, wanting him to feel my love for him. He set me down and pressed me against the wall. His lips roamed over my collar bone, making me quiver.

"Zuko," I gasped. "Let's go."

I then took off running towards our room. He was right on my heels the entire time. I beat him to the door, but he scooped me up and carried me inside. The room had changed while we were gone. The combs and containers of makeup were gone, and were replaced with candles. The heavy curtains had been drawn, blocking out any light. We started laughing nervously. _This was it._

"Sorry about all of this." He said.

"What do you mean? I like it."

The glow of the candles made everything look softer.

"My uncle believes we deserve the royal treatment. Even though I'm a banished prince and you're a common nurse."

"Hey!" I said. "What's wrong with a common nurse?"

"Nothing."

He kissed me again, this time a little softer. I laid my head on his chest and felt his heart beat. He carried me over to the bed. _This was it, for real. _The last two times didn't count. He gently set me on the bed and kissed me. My heart started beating rapidly as he started undoing his shirt.

"Wait." I said.

He stopped and sat down on the bed. Taking a deep breath, I kissed him.

"What is it Song?"

"I just wanted to let you know that whatever happens, I love you. And always will."

"Oh Song. I love you too."

I nodded, then started undoing the rest of his buttons. He bent down and kissed me, his hands untying the ribbon that held my dress together. The soft fabric fell of without hesitation. My pulse quickened as he bent down and kissed my shoulder.

I sighed contently. Zuko gently laid me back and got on top. His hands shook as he reached out to me.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to." I said, not wanting him to be uncomfortable.

"No!" He answered quickly. "I want to. More than anything. It's just that, I-I've never done this before."

"Neither have I."

He looked at me in shocked.

"But Zhao. You didn't-"

"No. I never even slept in the same room as him."

He exhaled, relieved. I reached up and pulled him down, kissing him soundlessly.

"I love you." He breathed.

It was the last thing either one of us said for a long time.

---

We spent the rest of the day in each other's arms. We made love. It wasn't lust, like the night before. I didn't feel his muscles to forget. I felt him to know he was there, and always will be.

No one bothered us, thankfully. Everyone had an idea of what was happening, but I couldn't even begin to describe what really occurred. We made love all day, not wanting to miss anything. We knew that we were going to leave for the Fire Nation soon, and because of that reason we were even more desperate for the other's company.

The candles burned down and eventually extinguished. We laid there, his arm around my shoulders, and my hand tracing shapes on his chest.

"So," I began. "What do you think?"

"That was amazing." He answered without hesitation.

I smiled, thinking the same thing. Suddenly, my stomach growled. I groaned in embarrassment.

"We should get something to eat." Zuko said as he sat up.

He kissed my forehead then got up. I retrieved my dress from the ground and put it on while Zuko pulled on his pants, not bothering with a shirt. We snuck out into the silent hall. _It must be night, _I thought. Guards were posted every three doors down, but other then them, there wasn't anyone around.

We walked quietly to the dining hall, holding hands.

"Where are we going to get the food at?" I asked.

"I don't know."

He pushed open the door and pulled me inside. Food, sat on the long table, waiting for us. There was roasted duck, steamed vegetables, fruit, rolls, tea, and even a small bottle of wine.

"Let me guess," I said as I tapped my chin. "Iroh?"

"Please," A voice said behind us. I jumped. "Call me uncle."

Zuko had already turned around, chuckling at my startled reaction. I sheepishly turned around to see Iroh standing there.

"How about an agreement? I'll call you Uncle Iroh."

He chuckled, and replied, "Agreed. I hope the food is to your liking."

"It's smells wonderful." I replied, my stomach growling again.

"I'll let the two of you alone then. I just wanted to make sure that you were going to eat."

He bowed slightly, winking at Zuko, and departed.

We sat down and started eating. The food was delicious. It seemed to melt in your mouth. When our bellies bulged from eating too much, Zuko reached across the table and grabbed my hand. He pulled it up to his lips and kissed my ring. It was a plain metal band, but it is a symbol of our marriage.

"My wife." He murmured.

I giggled, like a little girl. _That's right, I am his wife. _This was the best day of my life. Nothing, could ruin it. A girl entered the dining hall, then stopped at the sight of us. I narrowed my eyes and glared. _Except her._

* * *

**AN: Okay I know this one was slightly scandelous, but I think you don't mind. Reviews are always loved!!! Oh and if you check out my profile, I have a link to a story I started recently. It's all mine. Characters and all. So if you want, check it out. If not, that's cool too.**


	23. Chapter 23

"Oh I'm so sorry L-Zuko." She said as she blushed. "I'll just be going now."

As she started to leave, her foot caught the corner of the door, making her trip. She didn't fall, but her blush deepened to a dark shade of burgundy. It made me lose all anger I had towards her and was replaced by pity. She had fallen for a guy, he had even kissed her, and goes off and marries someone else. I couldn't even think of the heart break she's gone through.

"Wait." I said, standing up.

Zuko's eyes bulged, I could hear what he was thinking. _What are you doing? _She stopped, and turned back to me.

I didn't know what to say so I asked, "Are you hungry?"

She looked at me suspiciously and said, "I don't want to intrude."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She turned to leave, but I stood up and walked over to her.

"Jin? Is it?" I asked as I faced her.

"Yes. It is."

"I'm sorry." I don't know what came over me. It just popped out. "For everything."

She nodded and left. It wasn't the reaction I was expecting, but it was fine with me. Zuko had gotten up and was walking towards me.

"What was that about?" He asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I don't know. I felt sorry for her."

"Hmm." Was His reply, but he didn't push it any further. "Let's go to bed. I've never been this tired before."

He grabbed my hand, and led me back to our room. We changed into fresh night clothes that were waiting for us and crawled into bed. I yawned, and thought, _I'm never going to get to sleep. _But as soon as the thought ran through my mind, my eyelids started drooping.

"Good night Prince Zuko." I murmured into his chest.

"Good night Princess Song."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I gasped at the title. I had never even thought if I marry a prince, it would make me a princess. Was I ready for that?

My vision blurred, as I closed my eyes. Before I had a chance to think anymore, I fell asleep in his arms.

---

The warm sun woke me up. It had been three days since we had gotten married, and I had been loving every minuet. I yawned, and felt the bed for Zuko, but he wasn't there. I sat up and looked around the room.

"Zuko?" I called.

It was in vain though, because I could clearly see that no one was there. I slipped out of bed and changed into a dress that had been left for me. With a yawn, I left for the dining hall.

Inside, there were men were having a loud discussion. Zuko sat on the far side of the room with Aang and his friends. The room had transformed from a dining hall, to a war room. Maps were spread out all over the table, covering the surface like a cloth. Zuko saw me standing there, and motioned for me to come by him. The men were arguing about the war, not caring that I was there.

"When we attack, we should go from the right, that way-"

"No, no, no! If we do that we will be spotted by the guards at the temple!"

The conversation continued, already making me nervous.

When I made it to Zuko's side, he said, "You don't have to be here. I do. This is an important meeting and I can't leave."

"Okay. I think I'll just sit in for a while."

He nodded and pulled me into his lap.

"What will happen if we lose?" Someone across the table asked.

Any discussion that had been happening at that time, dropped. Heads swiveled around and looked at Aang. His fingertips were massaging his temples, his eyes closed. Katara put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly.

"We won't lose." She declared. "I believe that Aang will save the world. We can do this. With the Avatar by our sides, who's to doubt? Aang had mastered Air, Water, and Earth. Even though he hasn't mastered Fire yet, he will before we face the Fire Nation."

Aang opened his eyes and looked at her thankfully. She gave him a small, encouraging smile.

"But that would mean he would only have a week to master Fire. That would be impossible." Another man ventured out bravely.

"A week?" I whispered to Zuko.

He nodded grimly in reply. We only had a week! My fear grew consistently, swallowing me up.

Iroh, who I didn't see before, sat up and said, "Aang's training is no matter to you. He has been working harder than anyone else in this room."

Men nodded, and went back to their previous conversations. Panic started swelling up in my throat. _We only had a week_. I don't know why it frightened me so much, the war wasn't ever something that scared me. Now it seemed so incredibly real. It was as if I had heard of it and has felt it's sting, but had never really seen it. And I was going to be in it.

I was going to be a nurse, healer, and caretaker for those that had fallen. It wouldn't have been the first time. Back home, mother and I had treated dozens of people with battle wounds. But I had never actually seen a battle field. Was I ready? Who would ever be ready to see such destruction.

Zuko stood up, and pulled me out of the room.

"What is wrong?" He asked, worry in his eyes.

"Nothing." I responded as I looked away.

"Don't tell me it's nothing. I could see something is wrong. What is it?"

I had to be brave. Zuko stared at me, making me squeamish.

"I think I'll go lay down. I don't feel very good."

He frowned, but didn't push any further. I turned around and started walking away. To where, I didn't know just someplace far away from anyone who would talk about the war. My feet carried me to a court yard. It was the same place that I was married at.

I sat down behind a bush and fingered my wedding ring. It was so quiet out here, so serene.

"Song?" A feminine voice asked.

"I'm right here." I replied as I stood up.

Katara, who stood nearby, jumped at my sudden appearance.

"Oh, I didn't see you there. Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, but was already sitting down. She motioned for me to do the same.

Once I settled myself, I asked, "Why did you leave the meeting?"

"For the same reason as you. It just became too much for me to handle. It's scary, the war. But I have to be brave for Aang."

"I know the feeling." I said as I laid down and looked at the sky. "As the wife, or in your case girlfriend, we have to be their rock, their safe place."

She laid down beside me and whispered, "I want to be his wife. I love him."

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes I did. He had told me that he loves me first. It just kind of slipped out with me."

"If that's the case, in a couple of years you two will get married. There shouldn't be any problem with that, should there?"

Instead of answering, she turned her face away from me.

"What?" I asked. "I didn't say something offensive, did I?"

"No." She said as she wiped her face with her hand. She was crying. "It's just that, Aang will need sons and daughters. He's the last airbender."

"Oh."

Katara's worried that she won't be able to have kids. I had promised her that I would find something to help, but I've been… busy.

"I know that I don't have to worry about it for a while, but I'm scared. I don't want to marry him only to find out that I can't have children with him."

"I'm sorry. How does it feel? Does it still hurt?"

She burst out sobbing and said, "Yes. It hurts all the time."

"Shh." I said as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Have you tried healing it again?"

She stopped sobbing and gasped. "No, I haven't."

Her eyes lit up as she stood. "I'll go try right now. Thank you Song."

* * *

**AN: Sooo, there really isn't much to comment on this chap, but I would be really happy if you did.**


	24. Chapter 24

"Your welcome!" I yelled as she sped off.

Sighing, I laid back down. Clouds drifted by lazily, making shapes in the sky. When I was little, my mother and I would sit down and watch the clouds. I would guess shapes, and she would pretend to see them. I miss her so much. A hole had worn itself somewhere in my heart, the place that was hers. I was healing though, it was slow, but I could already feel it.

---

_The battle raged on. The ship that I was on was waiting silently for a sign. If we saw a red flag being waved, we flee. White, then we go and heal as many people as possible. I was standing at the bow of the ship and watched dozens of men fall. Blood flowed everywhere, staining the ground. I couldn't tell if we were losing or winning. Aang yelled something at Katara and she ran to him. Zuko was nowhere to be seen. Toph was taking on several men by herself, and didn't even break a sweat. My stomach twisted, fear welling up inside of me. They were all so brave, I couldn't compare. _

_Fire and earth flew everywhere. Occasionally, I would see and air burst, water whip or boomerang. Swords, knives, arrows and every imaginable weapon known to man was being used out there. Panic started swelling up in my throat, scared to go out there and see how many lives had been taken. But I had to be brave, for Zuko. He was still gone, but I shouldn't worry about him. He knows what he's doing._

_I saw lightening strike, heard Aang yelled again, this time in pain and then Katara screamed. Something had gone terribly wrong. _

_I ran up to the captain and cried, "I have to get off this ship! Aang is hurt."_

_"No one gets off the ship until we see a flag."_

_"But why? We are needed NOW!" I roared back._

_The captain only shook his head. I raced to the edge of the ship, prepared to jump. Suddenly, a loud burst of energy seemed to be coming from the Fire Lord's palace. A giant red fag flew in the air, being waved by a soldier covered in wounds. It was Zuko._

_The captain yelled orders, but I didn't hear him. My eyes locked with Zuko's, knowing that this would be the last time we would look into each others eyes. __**No, this wouldn't be the last time. **__I stood on the edge and crouched down. As I stared to jump, a pair of hands grabbed me. _

_"PLEASE!" I begged. "I have to be with him!"_

_The man who had grabbed me didn't reply. The ship was already turning around, making the water slosh up against the sides. Zuko was still standing there, sadness in his eyes. _

_"No, I have to be with him." _

_Before I knew it, fire consumed everything. Men screamed in agony and turned to flee, but Zuko just stood there. _

_"Run!" I yelled._

_It was hopeless, he couldn't hear me._

_"RUN!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears streaming down my face._

_Be he just stood there, looking at me._

I woke up gasping, then realized that I wasn't in the court yard. I was in our room lying on the bed. He was lying next to me, his brow knit together in worry.

"Song, are you okay? I couldn't wake you up."

My voice shook as I said, "I-I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."

Truth was, I wasn't fine. The dream was so real, I still felt like I was on the ship, with the waves rocking me back and fourth.

"Here, I'll get you some tea." He stood up and walked over to the tea table.

He poured me a cup of steaming hot tea, and handed it to me. I sipped slowly, not wanting to burn myself. He came over and rubbed my arms, trying to warm me for some reason. I realized then that I was shaking.

"I'm fine," I said in a sturdier voice. "Really."

He frowned in disbelief, so I tried to give him a reassuring smile. I failed.

"Don't try that with me." He said. "I know you better than that. Now what were you dreaming about?"

I couldn't lie to him, he'd know. So I just turned away. I had to be brave, he couldn't know that I was worried about this. If he did, he wouldn't let me come.

"It's about the war, isn't it?" He said softly.

How did he know that?!? My breathing got a little faster and he noticed.

"It is." He continued. "The final battle? The one that will be happening next week."

I couldn't help but let a couple of tears escape. I didn't wipe them because if I did, he'd see. He took my chin and forced me to turn towards him.

"Song." He sighed and wiped my tears with his thumb. "I don't want you to worry about any of this. Maybe I was wrong to let you into the meetings."

"No, you weren't. I wanted to know what is going on."

"I don't want you hurting, and you are. If we hadn't fallen in love, you wouldn't be worrying about me."

"That would be impossible. We couldn't help it." I tried to give him another smile.

He was falling deeper and deeper into dark thoughts. I had to find something bright for him think about.

"It was selfish of me," He said, his tone suddenly harsh. "I kept you here because I wanted to be with you. I didn't even think of what kind of effect it would have had on you."

"No, I wanted to be near you too."

"But it would have been better if you had been sent back to Kioshi Island." He said as he looked away.

"If you sent me back, I wouldn't be here with you now. We wouldn't be married."

He looked at me and whispered, "We wouldn't."

Finally, I had found a light, a guide to lead him back to more positive thoughts. I took his hand and twirled his ring.

"I will never regret that." I said.

"Neither will I."

I suddenly yawned, still tired. "How long was I asleep?"

"Well, after you left, the meeting went on for another two hours. I came out and knew right where to find you. You were asleep, so I carried you back to our room. You kicked for a while, but soon settled down. After that, you had only been asleep for about ten minuets before you started crying. I tried to wake you up, but it didn't happen. I was about to go get Katara when you woke up."

"Hmm. So it's about midday?"

"Yes. Aang wanted to know if we wanted to eat with them."

"I'm not hungry."

"Neither am I. So what do you want to do?"

I looked at him seductively, and said, "Well, we only have a week before we have to worry about anything, so why we don't we make the most of it?"

* * *

**AN: Hmm... So, I have 38 reviews, I only need 2 more to reach my goal. Do you think I can do it?**


	25. Chapter 25

Four days passed by faster than I thought possible. There was constant activity. Meetings, messages, planning, thinking, and who knows what else happened. Zuko was gone a lot of the time, but it was okay with me, Katara kept me company. She would talk and talk about Aang and the things he does. How powerful his bending is and how close he is to mastering Fire.

We went to the palace's library and found a scroll on healing with water. She even learned how to 'see' the insides of your body. I found another scroll with remedies for women. She tried healing herself again, and I brewed her a concoction. We're pretty sure she's compleatly healed.

I would drop by and listen to Zuko's meetings every once in a while, but didn't stay long. My time with Zuko during the day wouldn't be for very long, so we would always make the most of it.

I was tired a lot, mostly because my husband would keep me up most of the night. There was another reason though. My dreams. I kept having the same nightmare, only different tragedies would happen. Zuko and all of my new friends would die in the end, and I would be on a ship sailing away. I was able to cover up my fear when I would wake up pretty easily. Too much practice.

On the fourth day, the women and children came back to Ba Sing Se. The women had hugged their husbands. It was a joyous reunion. Unfortunately, someone said something about having only a day with their wife, then chaos broke out. Women clung to their husbands, crying. Lovers rushed to find someone to marry them. Children cried, not really understanding what was going on.

I was with Zuko, standing with him on the wall. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. I wanted to rush out there and comfort everyone, but I couldn't. Tomorrow will be the day we leave for the Fire Nation. We are expecting to meet a group of water tribe warriors, then we will hopefully get there by the next night. Zuko had tried to explain how waterbenders are more powerful when the moon is out. I'm only guessing that firebenders get their power from the sun.

I was so nervous all the time, it made me feel sick to my stomach. Zuko squeezed my hand again, pulling me back to reality.

"Come on. Let's go eat."

We walked back up to the palace, his arm around my waist. Normally this display of public affection would be frowned apon, but seeing as how every couple was doing it, we didn't care. When we entered Aang's room, it was silent. Katara, Toph, Iroh, Sokka and Aang just sat there, staring. The food looked delicious, but not even Sokkka was eating. He was _always _hungry. I had to do something to break up the quiet.

"So, Katara. Zuko had once told me that he chased you guys all over the place. Did he ever capture any of you?"

In response, she laughed. "He tried to."

"Hey!" Zuko said. "I got you once!"

"Ya, but you didn't have me for long."

After that, conversation broke out. They all talked of the fun times and adventures. I wish I had been there. We sat there for about three hours, just talking and laughing.

Zuko and I came into our room, our spirits high. He took his shirt off and jumped into bed. I disrobed and put on a light nightdress. When I was finished, I crawled into bed next to him. He put his arm around me, as he always did before we went to sleep. We have been married for eight days. I feel as if it had been three.

"Zuko?" I asked. There has been one particular subject that has been bothering me lately.

"Hmm?"

"On our wedding night, when we said good night, you called me Princess Song. You were just joking, weren't you?"

He readjusted himself before answering. "No, I wasn't. If Aang defeates my father, then the title of Fire Lord automatically passes on to me."

"Oh."

I had never thought of that. I know it seems stupid, but he's always just been Zuko to me.

"Does that bother you? The title?"

"No," I said carefully. "It doesn't bother me, I just hadn't thought of that. Do you want to be Fire Lord?"

"I don't really have a choice Song."

"I know, but if you did have a choice, would you be the next Fire Lord?"

I threw my hand across his toned stomach and waited for his answer.

"Yes. I think I would. If I could get the Fire Nation back to the way it was before the war, things would be a lot better."

"Some would hate you for that. Would you be ready?"

"I've had people hate me from the moment I was born. I don't think it would hurt me."

"I don't think that's something I'd ever get use to. Do you think…" I wanted to know his opinion, but didn't want to seem eager for the throne. Quite the opposite actually. I don't think I'd be ready for it. There would be so many things I'd have to learn. "Do you think I'd be a good Fire Lady?"

He laughed. I couldn't believe it. Here I was, nervous to ask him his opinion, and he laughs at me.

"Of course. The people will love you. Even if the don't love me."

"But I've done the whole 'rich wife' thing. I was known as the weird one. No one liked me."

"Song," He said as he leaned down and looked at me. "You shouldn't worry about that."

His warm breath tickled my nose. My thoughts suddenly became foggy. _He's right, I shouldn't worry about that._

"You're right. Just forget I ever said anything."

"I will…for now."

Ugg. I'd really gotten myself into a sticky situation. He laid his head ontop of mine and held me close. I suddenly became really tired. He started saying something, but my eyelids closed and my nightmares returned.

---

When I woke up, Zuko wasn't there. Again. I was starting to get use to the fact that he won't be there when I wake up. Why did he have to be such an early riser? I sat up and was surprised to see him standing by an open window.

"Good morning." He said as he walked over to me.

"Good morning." I replied as he kissed my forehead.

This was the big day. We will get on a ship and go to the Fire Nation to fight. Amazingly, I was calm. So was Zuko.

I got dressed and followed my husband out our room and towards the dining hall. We held hands, like always. We ate, talked a little with Aang, and packed our bags. We then went to a ceremony the Earth King was having to wish us luck. After that, we boarded the ships and set sail.

I had never been on a ship. Sure I'd been on a ferry, but that was different. The ferry rides I had taken were gentle. The ship I was on right now was tossing and turning. It made the contense in me stomach twirl around and around. I was going to get sick at any moment.

Katara came up beside me and said, "You okay? You're looking a little green."

"It's nothing." I replied, trying to hold down my breakfast. "I'm just a little seasick."

"Are you sure it's the sea that's making you sick?" She asked, humor dancing in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" I snapped.

She looked taken aback but said, "Did you ever think that you might be… you know."

My patience was wearing thin. "No I don't know. Would you care to inform me."

This was totally out of character for me. What is wrong with me?

She leaned down and whispered, "Did you ever think that you might be pregnant?"

The color drained from my face. I could feel it.

"Song?" She asked worriedly.

I stood up and ran over to the railing, heaving my guts out. _No! I can't be! It's only been a week!_ A comforting hand patted my back.

"It's okay, just get it out."

When I was finished, I wiped my mouth, turned around and looked at her.

"There's only one way to find out."

She nodded knowingly. I wanted for her to 'see' if there was anything inside of me.

"We better go to a more private place."

We ran off the deck and into an open room. Katara quickly froze the handle. I pulled off my dress and laid down. She bent some water and put it on my stomach. Laying her cool hands on my skin, she closed her eyes. Her fingertips moved across my belly in a rhythmic pattern. A smile found it's way to her lips. She opened her eyes and beamed at me.

"I couldn't 'see' any thing, but I can somehow 'feel' something, like a presence."

"What are you saying?" I asked sharply.

"Song," She said as she stood up. "You're pregnant."

---

The End.

* * *

**AN: Ah ha ha ha!!! Cliffhanger!! Don't worry though, I'm writing a third installment to my Love, Honor, and Iroh rampage. **

**I would like to thank all of thoes that have reviewed. (That would mostly be aniek90 and Jellybeanwannabe.) Without your reviews, I probably would have dropped the story a while ago. Thanks soooo much!**

**XOXO**

**skittlesandcombos**


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